Red Sox sign rookie Anthony to 8-year extension

The Boston Red Sox signed outfielder Roman Anthony to an eight-year contract extension Wednesday, locking up the former No. 1 prospect in baseball in the middle of his standout rookie season.

The deal, which includes a $5 million signing bonus, is for $130 million, sources told ESPN. However, with significant escalators, it could max out at $230 million, sources said.

“We’re playing such great baseball. I didn’t want to be a distraction to anyone,” Anthony told reporters in a pregame news conference. “But I knew that this is where I wanted to be, and I’m having a blast. And I just wanted to continue that.”

Anthony, 21, has been a revelation for the Red Sox since his June 9 debut, hitting .283/.400/.428 with two home runs and 19 RBIs in 46 games entering Wednesday. With elite patience and power potential, Anthony has ascended to the top of the Red Sox’s lineup, hitting anywhere between the No. 1 and No. 3 spot, and is widely viewed as a future MVP candidate.

The deal, which includes a $30 million club option for a ninth season in 2034, will start with a base salary of $2 million in 2026, sources said. It rises to $4 million in 2027 and $8 million in 2028. From there, it jumps to $15 million in 2029, $19 million in 2030, $23 million in 2031, $25 million in 2032 and $29 million in 2033, sources told ESPN.

“This is a guy who was the No. 1 prospect in the sport. We’ve seen the impact that he’s had on our major league team in just over 150 at-bats,” chief baseball officer Craig Breslow told reporters. “And so when we think about the future of this organization, there’s no question that it got brighter today.”

Anthony, who hadn’t played since Sunday because of back tightness, was back in the lineup for Wednesday’s game against the Royals. He went 0-for-4 in Boston’s 7-3 loss.

In signing the deal, Anthony gives up the opportunity to reach free agency as early as 26 years old, a rarity for high-end players. He opted to forgo the path of Juan Soto, who signed over the winter for 15 years and $765 million, and instead agreed to a deal similar to the eight-year, $111 million extension with a club option that the Arizona Diamondbacks gave to star outfielder Corbin Carroll following his first major league season.

If Boston exercises its option, Anthony will reach free agency at 30 years old.

“I don’t know what the future holds, but I believe that I will be the best version of myself every single day,” Anthony said. “It was a deal that was obviously more than enough for me and for my family and at a place that I want to be in.”

Some of the escalators revolve around Anthony’s finish in American League Rookie of the Year voting this season, according to sources.

Had Anthony finished in the top two and not agreed to the extension, he would have received a full year of service time, which would have allowed him to reach free agency following the 2030 season. If Anthony does finish in the top two — A’s first baseman Nick Kurtz is the current favorite, and others in the mix include injured A’s shortstop Jacob Wilson, Red Sox catcher Carlos Narvaez and Royals left-hander Noah Cameron — some of the escalators would kick in, sources said, reflecting the potential value of the extra free agent season.

Either way, Boston’s desire to extend Anthony reflects the high ceiling that evaluators across the game see in his left-handed swing and baseball sense. Trading star third baseman Rafael Devers to the San Francisco Giants shortly after Anthony’s debut illustrated Boston’s further commitment to its young core, and the redeployment of the money on Anthony adds to a strong group that has been the foundation of the team’s 7-1 run that has thrust it into the top AL wild-card spot at 64-52.

While his ground ball rate is high for a player with his raw power, Anthony’s swing decisions are regarded as elite by evaluators and backed by him offering at just 19.3% of pitches outside the strike zone, a figure that ranks 16th out of the 337 MLB players with at least 150 plate appearances this year entering Wednesday.

A second-round pick out of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High in Florida in 2022, the 6-foot-3, 200-pound Anthony projected as a high-average, high-on-base slugger who would grow into his power in a corner-outfield spot.

Other Red Sox players signed through at least 2030 include left-hander Garrett Crochet and center fielder Ceddanne Rafaela (2031), right-hander Brayan Bello (2030) and infielder Kristian Campbell, like Anthony one of Boston’s so-called Big 3 prospects along with infielder Marcelo Mayer, who’s signed through 2034.

“We’re not done yet, but it’s headed in the right direction. And signing our homegrown, young, talented guys is a huge part of that,” team president Sam Kennedy told reporters.

Had Anthony gone year to year in arbitration, he would have stood to make at most $50 million in those seasons — presuming he did not reach the Super 2 cutoff in his class and earn a fourth year of arbitration — were he to maintain his projected level of production. Boston paid a higher price for his potential free agent years than other similar deals but in doing so will avoid the potential windfall Anthony would receive hitting free agency in his mid-20s.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.