The Boston Red Sox signed rookie sensation Roman Anthony to an eight-year contract extension on Wednesday. The contract was team friendly, as it should be – Anthony is one of the youngest players in baseball. At 21 years old, he could easily backslide or suffer a sophomore slump or two on the way to stardom. By the end of his contract, though, Anthony could be in the heart of his prime and one of the best players in baseball. That potential made such a deal worth it.
Of course, not everyone in Boston is happy about the Anthony extension. That is not how Boston sports fans work. The Red Sox fanbase is forever in a state of 'woe is me'. Even Boston sports radio delivered some of the worst takes in recent memory Thursday, just hours after the Anthony news was announced.
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Jom Bowden rants against Roman Anthony's Red Sox contract
You can officially add Jim Bowden to the list of take artists. Bowden cannot believe how much money Anthony left on the table in exchange for short-term financial freedom.
"I don't understand how you can sit there and watch Ronald Acuña Jr. and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and not see the difference," Bowden ranted. "I mean, right now in the bank, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is guaranteed $570,800,000 in earnings. Ronald Acuña Jr., a similar talent, should be paid similarly. Has $100 million, so there’s a difference of $470 million between the two, and Roman Anthony just signed an Acuña Jr. deal.”
Bowden's argument is simple. Acuña Jr. signed an extension early in his career, and has come to regret it. Guerrero Jr. banked on himself, only to sign a much more lucrative contract with the Blue Jays this season. Anthony could very well come to the same realization years down the line.
Why Roman Anthony's deal with the Red Sox makes sense
There are a few flaws in Bowden's judgement. First, Anthony's deal will pay him until he is 29 years old. Unlike Acuña, Anthony hasn't suffered any injuries to diminish his value yet. Assuming he continues on this trajectory, Anthony will be able to sign at least one life-changing extension in his MLB career. By the time his deal with the Red Sox is up, who knows what Anthony's value could be? At this rate, it may be close to $700 million or more. Juan Soto's $765 million contract changed the game this winter.
You see, Anthony didn't limit himself by locking a long-term deal with the Red Sox. If anything, he banked on the value of baseball franchises and their star talents increasing over the course of that contract. It'd be hard to argue against him if recent events are any indication.
Suffering through years of arbitration in hopes of one generational payday is a flawed approach. Anthony realized that, while Bowden does not.