Red Sox fans might be overlooking how lucky they are Roman Anthony signed extension

Roman Anthony's eight-year, $130 million extension starts in 2026, and registers as one of the largest expenditures ever made on an outfielder under 22 years old.

Still, it's hard to say the deal — which comes equipped with a $34 million club option in 2034 — won't be worth the price. Anthony is slashing .283/.402/.434 in his rookie campaign, good for a 136 wRC+. He's working an absurd 15.0% walk rate, which would rank among the best hitters in baseballs if he had enough at-bats to qualify.

The 21-year-old's potential isn't the only reason this deal made so much sense from the Red Sox's perspective. Considering his youth and upside, Anthony may have saved Boston hundreds of millions of dollars by agreeing to this extension now.

As a rookie without Super Two eligibility, Anthony was due to become a free agent following the 2030 season, when he was just 26 years old.

Roman Anthony forgoes 3 years of free agency on extension, giving Red Sox long-term control of superstar outfielder

That age has become something of a sweet spot for mega-deals in recent years across the MLB landscape. Both Bryce Harper and Manny Machado were 26 when they inked their $300 million free-agent contracts in the 2018-19 offseason, and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. had made the same number of trips around the sun when he inked his $500 million extension with the Blue Jays earlier this year.

Oh, and, for what it's worth, Juan Soto was 26 when he agreed to the Mets' offer of $765 million, also known as the largest contract ever handed out to a professional athlete.

Now, there's no guarantee Anthony will ascend to that status, hence the risk the Red Sox are taking on in this deal. However, the early returns are already extremely promising, and it's clear baseball's No. 1 prospect heading into the season is capable of emerging as a generational superstar like those mentioned above.

Luckily, the Red Sox bought out the first three years of his free agency with this deal, and can actually soak up a fourth if they exercise their team option for the 2034 season. Yes, the contract means their luxury tax bill will take a hit over the next few seasons—when Anthony was originally going to be earning near the league minimum as a pre-arb player—but this deal will absolutely be worth it if the rookie sensation even nears the peak of his potential.

There's no telling how much those four free agent years would have been worth, but given the inflation occurring in baseball right now, it's not a stretch to say that a 26-year-old Anthony could have pushed for baseball's third-ever $700 million contract. He still could when he hits free agency in his 30s, though the Red Sox will at least keep him through he remainder of his 20s at a very reasonable price.

It's not often that you can look at a nine-figure investment right away and call it "smart business", but it's not often that a player like Anthony comes around. As long as the ghosts of Rafael Devers and Mookie Betts don't start to haunt the front office's halls, fans should plan on getting comfortable seeing Anthony in the middle of Red Sox lineups.