Roman Anthony signs 8-year, $130 million extension to stick with Red Sox

BOSTON -- An hour and a half before first pitch, Roman Anthony walked around Fenway Park in a blue checkered suit rather than his normal batting practice attire.

A special occasion calls for something fancier than baseball pants, after all.

Riding a seven-game win streak into the series finale against Kansas City, the Red Sox continued the good vibes by inking their star rookie outfielder to an eight-year, $130 million contract extension prior to Boston's 7-3 loss to Kansas City on Wednesday.

The extension will begin with the 2026 season and includes escalators that could bring the overall value up to $230 million. The deal includes a 2034 club option for $30 million, as well as escalators for a 1st or 2nd place Rookie of the Year finish, MVP finish (1st-10th) and All-Star selections, according to MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand.

“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. I want to thank all the fans who show up every day and continue to support us regardless of the outcome. It's really just a special place to play and a special place to show up every single day. I couldn't be more excited for this and couldn't be more thankful for everyone in this room and everyone who's helped me get here today.”

It’s been a whirlwind year for Anthony, who was called up to the Majors just under two months ago after a fast ascent through the Minors. Entering Wednesday, the former No. 1 overall prospect has slashed .283/.400/.428 with an .828 OPS and 19 RBIs in 46 games since he debuted on June 9. He’s played a big part in Boston’s recent success, notching his first career walk-off on Friday night to set the tone for a three-game sweep of the Astros.

And he’s still just 21 years old.

“It's hard to believe, man. Just given his stature, the way he carries himself, his maturity level and all that follows him onto the field, too,” Trevor Story said. “Just a special person, a special player. Obviously someone who’s gonna be around for a long time, and pumped that he's on our squad.”

Anthony's is the latest in a line of early extensions issued by Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow, who signed Kristian Campbell to an eight-year, $60 million contract in April with just six days of service time, and a year earlier gave the same treatment to Ceddanne Rafaela (eight years, $50 million).

The Red Sox and Anthony had previously engaged in extension talks during Spring Training, before Anthony had a feel for playing in the Majors or living in Boston. Just 159 at-bats into his big league career, the outfielder was sold on the experience.

As for Boston’s brass, they knew early on that Anthony was a player they wanted to invest in.

“I don't think we view him all that differently in terms of recognizing that this was an incredibly mature 20-year-old at the time, 21-year-old now, but someone that we felt like was going to successfully transition to the big leagues,” Breslow said. “Someone that we believed could be a cornerstone player for us. The path to regular playing time wasn't super clear, but this was always someone for whom we had really, really high expectations.”

In a testament to their support of Anthony, a number of players were in attendance for Wednesday’s press conference. Fellow rookie Marcelo Mayer, Romy Gonzalez and Jarren Duran were the first in the room, with a dozen or so other teammates fleshing out the back two rows and creating a standing-room only section.

“Super happy,” Mayer said. “Roman’s a brother to me. I've played with him for a couple years now. Just to see his dreams come true in that aspect makes me super happy for him and his family.”

The Red Sox have a lot to be happy about as of late. They entered Wednesday having won 14 of their last 15 games at Fenway, and their 39-21 home record is second behind Toronto for best in the American League. They entered the series finale just 3 1/2 games behind the Blue Jays in the AL East and were up 2 1/2 games on Seattle for the first AL Wild Card spot.

And now they’ve locked in another young star for the foreseeable future.

“It's super exciting when you talk about how young we are and the mix that we have of the great veteran guys that we have,” Anthony said. “So there's a lot to be excited about … and knowing that in this process was a big reason as to why I wanted to stay here and be with those guys and grow with those guys.”