Despite the loss, Red Sox were the big winners Wednesday

There aren't going to be many of these mulligans, especially this time of year. But this time, the Red Sox can be excused for putting Wednesday's 7-3 loss to the Royals on the back burner.

For that, they can thank Roman Anthony and his new contract.

What this day won't likely be remembered for was what transpired at Fenway Park on the night the Red Sox saw their seven-game win streak snapped. Sure, only getting 3 2/3 innings (on 91 pitches) out of newly-acquired Dustin May shouldn't have been comforting. Neither was the three-run homer surrendered by Jordan Hicks to Jonathan India, putting the game out of reach in the seventh.

The image embedded in everyone's memory when it comes to Aug. 7, 2025 was that of Anthony sitting in between team president Sam Kennedy and chief baseball officer Craig Breslow, having to wear a suit just more than an hour before taking his place in left field for the Red Sox.

To the side of the podium sat Anthony's parents, sister, and agents, with the majority of his teammates crammed into the back of the Fenway interview room, wearing their workout gear while supporting their 21-year-old teammate.

That sort of scene doesn't come around every day, and neither does the news that served as the impetus for the impromptu press conference.

Press conference … pic.twitter.com/enshMux2yK

— Rob Bradford (@bradfo) August 6, 2025

So, besides the unusual pregame get-together in a cramped interview, why should this moment be cemented in the 2025 highlight reel? Because many believed it wouldn't be a reality.

Simply put, this was Mookie Betts all over again. And this time they didn't mess it up.

Betts has admitted that the most difficult contract offer he has ever had to turn down was that first extension offered to him by the Red Sox. The lesson that the organization should learn from such an incident is the importance of going above and beyond what the models suggest when dealing with a potential superstar player.

That's what the Diamondbacks did with Corbin Carroll when signing the then-21-year-old to an eight-year, $111 million contract barely a few weeks into his big league career. It's what Seattle did deep into Julio Rodriguez's Rookie of the Year season, giving the outfielder a $210 million deal.

And it's what the Red Sox decided to do with Anthony.

It certainly didn't hurt the Red Sox's motivation that they were living life with the money saved by offloading Rafael Devers' contract. But, still, this sort of commitment shouldn't be viewed as a turn-key proposition. When you're committing to pay a player 46 games into his major league career $29 million in the final year of his contract (with the option to pay him $34 million in 2034), that is a significant leap of faith.

But sometimes there are players teams have a pretty good idea that this kind of jump isn't all that nerve-wracking. Anthony had shown enough - both to the Red Sox and the baseball world - to suggest this was an opportunity this organization would be foolish to turn away from.

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The following is how Anthony's contract breaks down. (It buys out all six years of the outfielder's club control and two years of potential free agency):

• $2MM in 2026

• $4MM in 2027

• $8MM in 2028

• $15MM in 2029

• $19MM in 2030

• $23MM in 2031

• $25MM in 2032

• $29MM in 2033

• $34MM club option (no buyout) in 2034