First of all, let’s not confuse “losing a year” with “not gaining a year.” They’re not the same thing at all.
I think the Sox are more interested in Anthony succeeding rather than struggling just to prolong his free agency, especially since he’s very likely to reach Super Two status and gain an arb year anyway even if he does figure in ROY balloting. But more important, if he’s good enough to figure in ROY voting now despite being over 2+ full WAR behind leader Jacob Wilson, he can and should help the Sox win some games. And that is their primary goal - winning, not managing Roman Anthony’s career.
And it’s beyond presumptuous to assume just because he’s the #1 prospect - a credential he shares with Andrew Benintendi and Daisuke Matsuzaka - automatically makes him a candidate for ROY….