With Roman Anthony, this time the Red Sox got it done the right way

Boston Globe

4 hours ago

'The kind of player others gravitate to,' teammate Rob Refsnyder said.
Remind you of anybody?
Mookie Betts was 21 when he was called up on June 29, 2014. By September he was playing like a franchise cornerstone.
But instead of making Betts a partner in their success, the Red Sox fought him for every dime. They renewed his contract before the 2017 season then took Betts to arbitration before the 2018 season.
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It culminated in a 2020 trade to the Dodgers that will be remembered as one of the worst in baseball history.
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'In the past, when we haven't signed homegrown players, it's hurt,' team president Sam Kennedy said.
Sox ownership also has answered the question of what they would do with the $254 million saved when Rafael Devers was traded to the Giants in June.
Anthony could make up to $230 million depending on how many All-Star appearances he makes and how he fares in the voting for Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player.
'We felt like what was best for the organization at the time was to trade Raffy,' chief baseball officer Craig Breslow said. 'And [Wednesday] we thought that what was best for the organization is to come to an agreement to keep Roman in a Red Sox uniform for a really long time.'
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Devers never caught onto the idea that a landmark contract brings with it responsibilities that go beyond the field. The Sox have gotten to know Anthony well enough for that not to be a concern.
'He's a great hitter and a great person. He wants to win,' manager Alex Cora said.
Anthony joins Garrett Crochet and Kristian Campbell as players who have agreed to extensions this year.
Crochet's six-year, $170 million deal looks like a bargain. The lefthander is 13-4 with a 2.24 ERA and leads baseball with 148⅓ innings.
Crochet beat the Royals on Tuesday night and had a sellout crowd hanging on his every pitch.
But Campbell is a cautionary tale. The 23-year-old signed for eight years and $60 million in the first week of the season and had a .935 OPS through 28 games.
He then hit .154 with a .451 OPS over the next 39 games and was demoted to Triple A on June 20. Campbell hasn't been back since and the Sox are trying him as a first baseman
There's every chance that Campbell will be a productive player. But for now he's proof that an extension does not come with a guarantee for success.
Along with Crochet and Campbell, the Sox also have Brayan Bello, Ceddanne Rafaela, and Garrett Whitlock under control through at least 2029.
That was part of the lure for Anthony.
'There's a lot to be excited about and I'm excited,' he said. 'This process was a big reason as to why I wanted to stay here and be with those guys and grow with those guys.'
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The Sox did well to build a relationship with Anthony and gain his trust.
Breslow credited assistant GM Paul Toboni with doing 'a ton of work' to get the extension over the finish line.
Toboni was director of amateur scouting in 2022 when Anthony was drafted and got to know not just the player but his family. Over the long term that matters.
The Sox are unlikely to bat 1.000 with extensions. Wilyer Abreu, Alex Bregman, Marcelo Mayer, and Carlos Narváez are all good candidates for a deal but their expectations may not align with what the Sox are thinking.
Scott Boras, who represents Bregman, believes players can only find their true worth as free agents. But he also did the deals when Jose Altuve and Matt Chapman agreed to extensions.
Jarren Duran is an interesting case. He turns 29 in September and can't become a free agent until after the 2028 season. He's also a player whose game is built around speed.
Projecting what kind of player Duran will be when he's 32 or 33 is difficult.
It's a process, as Breslow said. The process worked with Anthony and the Dodgers will have to look elsewhere.
Peter Abraham can be reached at