MLB is loaded with young talent that's taking over the league. From Cincinnati Reds superstar Elly De La Cruz to Kansas City Royals MVP candidate Bobby Witt Jr., it seems like there's a 23- or 24-year-old superstar everywhere you look. As these players continue to grow, more teams have jumped on the wave of signing their young stars to massive contract extensions before they come anywhere close to hitting free agency.
This is what we recently saw with the San Diego Padres signing Jackson Merrill to a nine-year extension and the Boston Red Sox inking Kristian Campbell to an eight-year deal.
Campbell's extension should be the one that turns heads. He's played just a few games in the big leagues, and the Red Sox are willing to commit to him for the next eight years. The New York Yankees could take a page out of Boston's book and look to re-sign some of their own stars before they play themselves to bigger contracts.
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Yankees could follow Red Sox's footsteps with massive contract extension
When looking at the Yankees roster, there are three clear candidates for massive contract extensions in the same realm as Merrill and Campbell.
The most obvious comparison to this deal is outfielder Jasson Dominguez. The switch-hitting star is one of the best prospects in all of baseball and he finally cracked the big league club as a starter this season. While he's had his ups and downs in the Majors so far, his potential is incredible, and he appears to be a cornerstone of the future in the Bronx.
Shortstop Anthony Volpe is another extension candidate. He's been in the league for a few years now, but he hasn't driven his value up to an insane level yet. Now that he's using the torpedo bat and slugging like an All-Star, there's a chance that 2025 could be his breakout season. With that in mind, it might be best to ink him to an extension right now.
Catcher Austin Wells is the final extension candidate that jumps off the page at you. He has the potential to drive up his value as a slugging catcher. Either way, the Yankees could afford to take a page out of Boston's book to avoid losing all these stars in free agency down the road.