Red Sox sign Roman Anthony to an 8-year contract extension that could reach $230 million

The Red Sox have locked up another young cornerstone player.

Roman Anthony has agreed to an eight-year, $130-million contract extension, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan. The extension will keep the Sox’ rookie in Boston through 2034.

Anthony’s new deal will start in 2026 and include significant performance escalators that could take it to $230 million. The deal includes a club option for 2034, and the extension buys out three or four years of Anthony’s free agent seasons, depending on where he finishes in this year’s Rookie of the Year voting.

“For me, as a player and as a competitor, I believe in myself every single day,” Anthony said. “I don’t know what the future holds, but I do believe I will be the best version of myself every single day. For me, it was a deal that was obviously more than enough for me and my family in a place where I want to be. Those escalators just give me a chance to continue to grind every day, help this team win and be the best version of myself I can be each and every day.”

His deal allows for Anthony to earn an additional $2 million added to his 2032 or 2033 salaries if he's an MVP before then, plus $1 million if he wins Rookie of the Year this season. He'd also get an increase in his 2031 salary if he wins Rookie of the Year. He will earn an additional $200,000 in escalators in '32 and '33 for each All-Star appearance. 

This is the second time this season that the Red Sox have extended one of their top prospects. Boston signed Kristian Campbell to an eight-year, $60-million deal in April, and his deal can come close to $100 million. Similar to Anthony’s extension, Campbell has performance escalators in the contract.

Garrett Crochet, Brayan Bello, and Ceddanne Rafaela are three other young players who have signed extensions with the club the last couple of years. All of these deals have come under chief baseball officer Craig Breslow.

Anthony said that the extension talks with the team went quickly and it didn’t take long for him to determine where he wanted to play long-term. 

"When the offer came through, it was something I wanted to move quick on and there was no doubt this is where I wanted to play baseball for a long time,” he said. 

Anthony signs his new deal with just 46 games under his belt as a big leaguer. The 21-year-old entered this season playing for the WooSox and was the No. 1 prospect in baseball. While with the Red Sox, he’s hit .283 with two homers, 15 doubles, 19 RBIs, a .400 on-base percentage, and an .828 OPS while playing both left field and right field. He’s been hitting in the top of the Red Sox’ lineup since his promotion, leading off against righties and batting third versus lefties.

If Anthony finishes first or second in the AL Rookie of the Year voting this year, he’ll receive a full year of service time for 2025. Essentially, that means he was slated to become a free agent after the 2030 season.

The Florida native is earning the league minimum this season and will get a $5 million signing bonus. 

He’ll earn $2 million next year, $4 million in 2027, and $8 million in 2028. In 2029, his salary jumps to $15 million, covering an arbitration year, and in 2030, he’ll earn $19 million. His 2031 salary is $23 million, and he’ll earn $25 million in 2032 and $29 million in 2033. There are no buyouts on the club option, and it could raise the value to $160 million over nine seasons, before any escalators potentially kick in. 

“It took a team to get this done,” said Anthony. “I couldn’t think of a better city to play in for the next eight to nine years of my life and I’m super excited.”

Anthony’s pact is the second-largest contract extension for a player with less than one year of service time in baseball history. The Mariners committed to a 12-year, $209.3 million deal with outfielder Julio Rodriguez in his rookie season (2022).

The Red Sox will likely spin Anthony’s new extension as a reallocation of some of the money that they shed when Rafael Devers was shipped to the Giants on Father’s Day. 

Boston should now pivot by renegotiating Alex Bregman’s contract and extending the All-Star third baseman.

Anthony’s deal will pay him an average annual value of around $16 million at the start and raise the club’s competitive balance tax (CBT) equation in the next couple of seasons. Boston gets a tremendous discount on the Anthony extension, especially if he pans out to be one of the game’s best young players.

"That's the type of player you wanna have around for a long time," said WooSox manager Chad Tracy. "Not just because he's really, really damn good, but because he's an amazing person... Great for the Red Sox and Red Sox nation."

The Red Sox have gone an American League-best 32-16 since Anthony's debut. In the process, they've skyrocketed to the top AL Wild Card spot and sit just three games behind the Blue Jays for first place in the AL East. Boston enters Wednesday on a seven-game win streak. Anthony, who has missed the last two games. with mid-back tightness, but will be back in the lineup for the series finale with the Royals. 

Many of Anthony’s teammates and coaches were present for his presser to announce his new extension, including Marcelo Mayer, Romy Gonzalez, Jarren Duran, Rob Refsnyder, and coach Jason Varitek.