On Wednesday, the Red Sox confirmed reports that the team and rookie outfielder Roman Anthony had agreed on an eight-year contract extension that will keep the 21-year-old in Boston (64-51) through at least the end of the 2033 season.
According to ESPN's Jeff Passan, the deal is worth $130 million, and includes a club option for team control through 2034. And between the club option and escalators, the deal can max out at $230 million.
Shortly after Passan’s report, Red Sox manager Alex Cora made his weekly appearance with WEEI Afternoons.
Unfortunately for the guys, the team had yet to announce the deal.
That meant Cora had to partake in a bit of kabuki theater when asked about the deal:
But it was later in the interview where Cora gave us a window into Anthony’s impact outside of his obvious production at the plate.
“Obviously, the kids have helped a lot,” said Cora. “And not only on the field, but in the clubhouse.
“Like when you walked in when I was a rookie, I would go to the veterans, right? Like [Gary] Sheffield, Bobby Bonilla, Devon White in LA. Now you see the veterans going to Roman and Marcelo [Mayer].
“I mean, [the veterans] love it. They love just being around them. They want to win. That's the cool thing about them. Roman said it in the beginning about expected numbers. He's like, ‘expected numbers were up there,’ but his actual numbers were in the - he was hitting .180, whatever. He's like, ‘In the big leagues, it's not about expectancy. It’s about contributing, you know?’ And he's done that, and we have a good baseball team. We’re in a good place.”
Anthony’s aura is that of a veteran for this ballclub, which matches the composure he’s shown as a hitter since being called up on June 9:
- .283 BA
- .400 OBP
- .428 SLG
- .828 OPS
- 1.8 WAR
- 19 RBI
- 26 BB
- 2 HR
- 15 doubles
- 27 runs
- 49 hits in 190 plate appearances
“I wanted to be here,” Anthony told the media in a pregame press conference on Wednesday to discuss the contract extension. “I wanted to be in Boston for a long time.”
If Anthony can continue on this trajectory, Boston fans will continue wanting him here for a long time as well.
WEEI and WEEI.com are your home for Red Sox baseball all season long. Hear every pitch of the 2025 season on 93.7 WEEI-FM in Boston and across the WEEI Shaw's Star Market Red Sox Radio Network.