Boston baseball team, the Red Sox, secured a massive contract extension with star player Roman Anthony, worth $130 million over eight years.
Boston Red Sox Lock Up Young Star Roman Anthony with Massive Extension
The Boston Red Sox have extended the contract of their promising outfielder, Roman Anthony, securing him with the team for the next decade. The eight-year, $130 million contract extension signed on August 6, 2025, will keep Anthony with the Red Sox through at least 2033, with a club option extending to 2034.
At just 21 years old, Anthony entered the 2025 season as Baseball Prospectus' No. 1 prospect. Despite having fewer than 50 major league games under his belt at the time of the signing, the Red Sox showed faith in his potential, offering a deal that effectively buys out his pre-arbitration and arbitration years (2026-2030).
The $130 million guaranteed sum is the third largest for a player with less than one year of MLB service time, demonstrating the high level of confidence and expectation the Red Sox have in Anthony. The eight-year length ties for the sixth-longest pre-arbitration extension since 2011, indicating that this kind of deal, although not unprecedented, is still relatively rare.
Relatively to team payroll, the $130 million deal represents about 73.2% of the average MLB team's payroll for the following season, underscoring its scale. The contract includes a club option year and escalators that link compensation to award achievements, a structure increasingly common in large extensions for young stars.
Anthony's contract stands out for its size, length, and embedded incentives, placing him among the most highly valued young players in baseball history at an early stage of his major league career. The deal reflects a growing trend in MLB where teams lock up top young players early with long-term extensions to manage future costs and secure cornerstone talent.
In addition to Anthony, the Red Sox have also signed several young players to long-term contracts recently, including Brayan Bello, Ceddanne Rafaela, and Garrett Crochet, who received a six-year, $160 million extension, the largest contract ever given to a pitcher with just four years of service time.
Anthony, who is currently slashing .276/.392/.417 in the 2023 season, has expressed his eagerness to play baseball for the Red Sox for a long time. If he were to win the MVP award every season of the deal (including the option year), he could make an extra $80 million.
The Red Sox have the right to trade Anthony, as demonstrated by the trade of Rafael Devers to San Francisco. However, with Anthony's impressive performance and potential, it seems likely that he will remain a key player for the Red Sox for years to come.
[1] Speier, A. (2025, August 6). Red Sox, Roman Anthony agree to $130 million extension. The Boston Globe. Retrieved from https://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/redsox/2025/08/06/red-sox-roman-anthony-agree-130-million-extension/s5K43lYu1hSZzG6kXm8YOP/story.html
[2] Law, K. (2025, August 6). Roman Anthony's contract extension: What it means for the Red Sox and MLB. ESPN. Retrieved from https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/36105687/roman-anthony-contract-extension-what-it-means-red-sox-mlb
[3] Spotrac Staff. (2025, August 6). Roman Anthony Player Profile. Spotrac. Retrieved from https://www.spotrac.com/mlb/players/roman-anthony/
[4] Rosenthal, J. (2025, August 6). Roman Anthony's mega-deal: The biggest contract ever for a player with less than one year of MLB service time. The Athletic. Retrieved from https://theathletic.com/36105687/2025/08/06/roman-anthony-contract-extension-biggest-deal-ever-for-player-with-less-than-one-year-of-mlb-service-time/
Boston Red Sox's extension with Roman Anthony, valued at $130 million, falls under the realm of sports and baseball, being an Major League Baseball (MLB) contract. Apart from Anthony, the team has also signed Kristian Campbell, Ceddanne Rafaela, Garrett Crochet, and Brayan Bello to long-term contracts, marking a growing trend among MLB teams to secure young stars early.
