The rival Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees were among the final teams in the mix for Juan Soto's services in the offseason. The New York Mets ended up signing him to the most lucrative contract ever signed by a professional athlete, but the Red Sox feel they recently acquired a Soto of their own.
Roman Anthony has caught eyes of fans and opposing teams across MLB since his July 9 promotion. The former No. 1 prospect in baseball is batting .283/.402/.434 with an .836 OPS in 58 games — not only has he asserted himself in the American League Rookie of the Year race, but among some of the best hitters in MLB. His manager, Alex Cora, agrees.
“Who he reminds me of, it’s hard,” Cora said (via Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic). “I don’t want to say (Barry) Bonds, of course. Probably Soto, without the flashiness, early on. It’s a good at-bat. He’s not going to chase. Even when he doesn’t get hits, you’re like, holy s—, that’s a good at-bat.”
Anthony is great at making opposing pitchers work. He's racked up 36 walks in his nearly three months in the big leagues, good for a 14.6 percent walk rate. Even at the young age of 21, Anthony understands just how important free passes can be, and his knowledge has landed him among some elite company. He reached base 94 times in the first 55 games of his career, and the only two players who reached more in that time are Ichiro Suzuki and Yordan Alvarez. He also became the second-youngest Red Sox player to take four walks and hit a home run in the same game — second to only Ted Williams.
Red Sox manager Alex Cora compares Roman Anthony to Juan Soto, rubs salt in Yankees' wound
The Red Sox’s Roman Anthony has passed every test so far. His next challenge: Yankee Stadium. https://t.co/Cm4sDjPZiY pic.twitter.com/5amezgGCq9
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) August 21, 2025
A skilled eye is a huge part of Soto's game. He's walked more than 100 times in four of his eight seasons in the big leagues, and he's on pace to do so again this year. He's also usually good for at least 20-30 home runs on a season, which is one of the things Cora said sets he and Anthony apart — the rookie still needs to work on hitting the ball in the air, but that adjustment will come with time.
The Red Sox and Yankees both lost out in the Soto sweepstakes, but Boston has another potential Soto in the making. The Yankees had Soto and Aaron Judge on their roster in 2024, and they were a deadly combination atop their batting order. New York made it to the World Series last season, but couldn't beat the Dodgers even after potentially the best season of Soto's career (.288/.419/.569, .988 OPS, 31 doubles, four triples, 41 homers).
Anthony is sill just a rookie and has an eight year contract extension ahead of him so he can improve with the Red Sox organization. Hopefully, he can bring his best Soto impression to the Bronx this weekend to remind the Yankees of their recent high-profile breakup.