Roman Anthony signed an eight-year, $130 contract extension with the Red Sox, a deal that has an option year that could add another $30 million of value. On the surface, it’s a tremendous amount of money for a 21year old to guarantee himself.
On the other hand, though, there’s no doubt that Anthony could have earned a lot more money if he waited things out and either signed a more lucrative contract with the Red Sox or went through arbitration before finally hitting free agency either in 2030 or 2031.
Based on the way Anthony deflected questions about extension talks in spring training and during the regular season, it might have looked like the top prospect was heading down that path. Yet on Tuesday, he explained what changed and made him want to put pen to paper.
“Just wanting to be here and knowing what I know now, and with two months of experience under my belt, and living in Boston, and being in the city, and the way that these fans are so connected to us as a team, and being with my teammates and this staff and the front office down, everyone that shows up here every day,” Anthony told reporters at Fenway Park. “It’s a special place, and it was a pretty simple decision for me. I wanted to be here.”
Red Sox president and CEO Sam Kennedy admitted that it has “hurt” in the past when the team has failed to sign homegrown players to long-term deals, and he credited chief baseball officer Craig Breslow for being aggressive in getting this deal done.
“When we think about the future of this organization,” Breslow said, “there’s no question that it got brighter today.”
Anthony revealed that the process was “quick” and that he had no doubts about committing to Boston for the long haul.
“I couldn’t think of a better city to play in for the next eight to nine years of my life,” Anthony said. “And I’m super excited.”
More MLB: MLB Rumors: Red Sox Pushed To Add Former Dodgers 11-Year Veteran
The post Roman Anthony Explains Why He Signed Multi-Year Extension With Red Sox appeared first on Newsweek.
