Roman Anthony is content to keep contract chatter in the rearview as he settles into his first big-league season with the Boston Red Sox.
“There hasn’t even been a single peep about it since I’ve been here,” he said, adding that both sides have “handled that well in terms of just letting me go and play,” as transcribed by Rob Bradford of WEEI.
Speculation about an extension has lingered since spring, especially with Anthony, Kristian Campbell and Marcelo Mayer entering the year as Boston’s top three prospects. Campbell signed for eight years and $60 million in April. Anthony and Mayer have yet to commit to the Red Sox long term.
“If (an extension) is a topic of discussion, it’ll be probably toward the end of the year or maybe going into the offseason,” Anthony said. “Right now it’s just baseball, baseball, baseball,” according to Gabrielle Starr of the Boston Herald.
He made it clear that the Red Sox remain his preferred destination.
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“If I could be here for an extended period of time and it worked out on both sides, that’d be fantastic,” he said. “I love Boston, I love the fan base, everything that I’ve experienced so far has been great.”
Still, locking up Anthony will not come cheap. He is just 21 years old, widely seen as a talent with incredible upside, and under team control through the 2031 season. That runway gives him enormous leverage if he continues developing as projected.
“It’s not outrageous to think he and the Red Sox might price those (controlled) seasons at exorbitantly high values,” wrote Brandon Glick of BoSox Injection, noting that an eight-year, $100 million deal would be “a huge stretch” but is not entirely off the table.
Until then, Anthony is content to block out the noise and focus on his role.
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“I don’t worry about the money, or whatever it is until they bring it up, if they do.”