Breaking: Red Sox Hand Out Historic Contract to Roman Anthony

It's a historic deal for a player with only 46 games and 159 at-bats in the major leagues. But the Boston Red Sox are feeling pretty confident about young outfielder Roman Anthony's future, and have signed him to an eight-year, $130 million contract extension, which could potentially even reach $230 million.

BREAKING: Outfielder Roman Anthony and the Boston Red Sox are finalizing an eight-year, $130 million contract extension, sources tell ESPN. The deal, which is pending a physical, includes a club option and will keep Anthony under team control through 2034.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) August 6, 2025

The new extension kicks in in 2026, and according to Passan, includes "significant escalators" that could take the maximum value of the deal to a whopping $230 million. In addition, depending on where he finishes in AL Rookie of the Year voting this season, the contract will buy out three or four years of unrestricted free agency.

And even after all that, Anthony could still become a free agent in his age-30 season.

The 21-year-old, who was the Red Sox's second-round pick in the 2022 MLB Draft, has batted .283 in his short time in the majors, with a .400 on-base percentage, an .828 OPS and a 132 OPS+. He has a couple of homers and 19 RBIs, with 27 runs scored and 26 walks in 46 games.

It started extremely slowly for Anthony, as he batted just .115 through his first 15 games. But since then? Let's just say he's figured it out. In his last 30 games, he's batted .348 with a .447 on-base, and a .947 OPS.

The last contract of such magnitude for a rookie came back in 2023, when the Arizona Diamondbacks signed Corbin Carroll to an eight year, $111 million deal. Anthony's blows that away.