The Boston Red Sox are signing outfielder Roman Anthony to an eight-year, 130-million-dollar contract extension, according to Jeff Passan of ESPN. Anthony is in his first year in the big leagues, and he’s impressed so far in 46 games. This is an aggressive move by the Red Sox, as they view Anthony as a core piece of their future and see the potential for him to become a franchise cornerstone-type player.
Roman Anthony Has Impressed So Far
Roman Anthony is hitting .283 with two home runs, 19 RBI and has an .828 OPS this season. His OPS+ number of 132 is excellent, meaning he’s producing 32 percent above league average. Anthony, along with Marcelo Meyer, looks like the future in Boston, and the Boston Red Sox saw enough in these 46 games to lock Anthony up to this kind of contract.
There’s a lot to like in Anthony’s small sample size in the major leagues, but there’s risk. It’s based on exactly what was just stated. He’s less than 50 games into his big-league career, and they’re going to pay him 16 million per season. It’s a team-friendly deal, but severely risky to give out when you don’t know what kind of player Roman Anthony is yet.
The Justification for the Contract Is Fair
The Red Sox have taken off since Anthony got called up. Earlier in the season, the Boston Red Sox were dealing with the drama of Rafael Devers and his position before he got moved. The extension of Roman Anthony highlights how the Boston Red Sox’s season started and how it’s currently progressing. It went from the lowest of lows with trading the franchise superstar to where we are today.
The extension is all based on upside. If Anthony continues to improve, this contract is going to look like a steal. If he doesn’t and stays the same player, it’s still a reasonable deal. Time will tell, but the future is now in Boston.
