The Boston Red Sox had one of the most exciting offseasons across the entire league this winter. They began by making it very clear that they were going to spend money and resources in order to put a winning team on the field going forward. With Juan Soto leaving the New York Yankees and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. entering the final year of his contract with the Toronto Blue Jays, the AL East could be open for the taking, and Boston was set on spending the money to take the division.
Craig Breslow lived up to that promise by trading for Garrett Crochet at the Winter Meetings, who they've since signed to a massive contract extension worth nearly $200 million. After that, the Red Sox brought in a few other players including third baseman Alex Bregman. The addition of Bregman moved Rafael Devers to the DH slot while leaving second base open for prospect Kristian Campbell.
At the time, it was considered a bit of a risk. But the Red Sox believe in Campbell so much that it took him just 16 at-bats to land a massive contract extension.
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Red Sox ink Kristian Campbell to massive eight-year contract extension
On Wednesday afternoon, the Red Sox announced they had agreed to a new contract extension with Campbell. The extension is for eight years and $60 million with two club options, according to MLB insider Jeff Passan. This new deal locks the potential superstar up through at least the 2034 season.
Campbell, 22, slashed .330/.439/.558 with 20 home runs and 32 doubles in 115 Minor League games. He's an elite hitter with great bat to ball skills and the ability to hit for extra bases. He's also an excellent fielder with the potential to play second base at a very high level as the Red Sox.
While Campbell and Crochet are the first two dominoes to fall in extension world for the Red Sox, they likely won't be the last. Boston still has top prospects Marcelo Mayer and Roman Anthony who will likely debut this year; both have superstar potential as well. They also have Wilyer Abreu and Triston Casas to look into extending. Both of them have been rumored as trade chips, so it could be less likely for Boston to consider a contract extension.