Following Roman Anthony's Contract, Who Will Red Sox Extend Next?

In a bit of shocking news, the Red Sox and Roman Anthony have agreed on an extension that will keep him in Boston for the next eight years. Our own @Nick John has detailed the extension expertly here, so check that out if you haven’t yet.

Isn’t it awesome to have a front office that’s prioritizing signing homegrown talent? We can all agree that Roman Anthony is an absolute stud, and having him locked down for the future is going to help bring another title back to Boston. We briefly discussed this on the most recent episode of the Talk Sox Podcast, but there I said that I thought Alex Bregman would get extended first because it was a more pressing matter than getting Anthony locked in long term. I couldn’t be more excited to be incorrect. This extension caused me to start day dreaming about the other contract extensions that could be on the horizon for the Red Sox. Before we dive into those though, it’s important to give an overview of how the finances for the Red Sox currently stand after the Anthony extension.

As currently constructed, the Red Sox now have an adjusted payroll of $195,816,666 committed through the end of the 2025 season (this does not include Anthony's new deal, which begins next season). Their tax payroll sits at $242,770,120, which is $1,770,120 over the first tax threshold. There had been reports at the trade deadline that the Red Sox were operating with a budget in mind, but clearly they were comfortable going past that CBT threshold to lock up an essential piece of their young core. Going into the 2026, the team has these players locked into long term contracts:

• SP Brayan Bello through 2030 (6/$55M)
• SP Garrett Crochet through 2031 (6/$170M)
• OF Ceddanne Rafaela through 2032 (8/$50M)
• 2B/1B Kristian Campbell through 2034(8/$60M)
• OF Roman Anthony through 2034 (8/$130M)

Talk about a young core secured for the future. This list doesn't include more veteran players like Trevor Story, Masataka Yoshida, and Garrett Whitlock, who are also under contract beyond 2025. Now, even though we’re celebrating Anthony’s extension, we need to consider that there is still a bit of work to be done with the team's in-house talent.

Alex Bregman

As I stated earlier, I thought the front office would prioritize Bregman’s extension over Anthony’s during the remainder of the season since the former can opt out when the season is over. Even though his season has involved a decent stint on the injured list, Bregman has been paramount to the success of the Red Sox.

When healthy, he’s an ever-looming presence in the lineup. You can’t pitch around the guys in front of him, and he's consistently getting on base for the guys behind him. He’s a former Gold Glove winner and makes the hot corner stable on a daily basis. Arguably more important is his leadership. Any time the camera pans to Bregman in the dugout, he’s surrounded by his teammates. Most notably, Roman Anthony and Marcelo Mayer. They are stuck to Breggy like glue, and for good reason. They even had their lockers moved to be next to him. Ceddanne Rafaela credited Bregman with helping him figure out his offensive approach. Pitchers pick his brain about their pitch mix. He seems primed to be a successful manager and coach one day, a role he seems to have taken on this season as well. There are reports of him sitting with an iPad and giving hitting advice while players take dry swings around him. Locking him in for the rest of his career would be a worthwhile move by the front office.

Marcelo Mayer

Now the lone member of the Big Three to not be signed long-term, Mayer figures to be the next extension handed out by the front office. His first foray into MLB hasn’t been as successful as Anthony, but he’s proven to be a possible Gold Glove caliber defender at two positions. Remember, he’s not a natural third or second baseman, so he'll only improve with more time and reps. His offensive game should come around because, like Anthony, he doesn’t seem overwhelmed by facing big league pitching. He’s just adjusted to it slower than his best friend on the team.

The biggest knock against Mayer is his now semi-recurring wrist injury. He’s currently on the injured list with the same wrist injury from 2023, so that’s something the team will have to take into consideration if and when he’s approached about a long-term extension. If he can rebound from this injury, then it’s likely the team will have fewer concerns moving forward.

Carlos Narvaez

The catcher that barely made a blip on the radar when he was traded for. The guy who should be in the AL Rookie of the Year conversation and should have been an All-Star reserve. He’s one of the best defensive catchers in the sport and looks to be the kind of franchise guy teams love to have behind the plate.

He’s taken an offensive downturn lately, but he’s playing more baseball this season than he ever has in his career, so it’s to be expected. Locking Narvaez in for the long term would signal to the starting rotation that they have a catcher they know they can trust for years. Currently, he’s getting his knee looked at after tweaking it in the second game against the Royals, but the hope is that it isn't anything serious. He projects to be one of the best catchers in the American League not named Cal Raleigh for the foreseeable future, so keeping him in Boston for a long time is the absolute right call. 

Wilyer Abreu

Just a few months ago, I wrote about how Abreu needed to be given a contract extension. I still believe that he’s the future of right field in Boston and extending him is a smart play. Jarren Duran has been playing incredible baseball over the last month, but it's clear that Alex Cora's preferred outfield group (at least defensively) is Anthony in left, Rafaela in center, and Abreu in right.

If that is what the front office prefers, then they need to lock up the last piece of that outfield puzzle to an extension too. He’s a former Gold Glove winner and is showing that he can be more than a platoon option. Letting him see more left-handed pitching could help expand his role into that of an everyday player, which would make an extension even more worthwhile. He’s an important member of the young core here in Boston, so don’t be surprised to see his name start to pop up in extension rumors over the next few months.

The Red Sox have found themselves with a treasure trove of controllable young talent that deserves to be in Boston for the long haul. The team is young and now, the bulk of the core players are under team control for their peak years. It feels great to see the front office prioritizing keeping youth in the system and trusting their evaluations.