PORTLAND, Maine — A recent trend around baseball has seen teams reward top prospects with long-term extensions before they even make their major league debuts. Just last winter, the Tigers locked up infielder Colt Keith for six years and $28.6 million and the Brewers signed outfielder Jackson Chourio to a record-setting eight-year, $82 million deal before either player reached the big leagues.
Could the Red Sox, who extended young big leaguers Brayan Bello and Ceddanne Rafaela earlier this spring, follow suit? It’s possible because the types of blue-chip prospects the team currently has in the organization. Outfielder Roman Anthony, shortstop Marcelo Mayer and catcher Kyle Teel are the types of players who the team may want to commit to at the early stages of their careers, but so far, it doesn’t appear there has been any traction with any of them.
All three players are currently with Double-A Portland, two stops away from the majors. And while they’re all candidates to reach Boston by the end of the year, it doesn’t appear contract extensions are on the horizon in 2024.
“It’s not something I’ve considered at all,” Mayer said before Friday’s Sea Dogs game at Hadlock Field. “I’m just going out there, playing my game, playing hard, having a good time with my teammates. Whatever happens, happens. That’s not really up to me to decide. The only thing I can control is going out there and doing what I can.”
Teel was Boston’s first-round pick just last year but despite having less than one full season of experience in the minors, may be on track to reach the big leagues the fastest of the three. The 22-year-old said the Red Sox have made a strong impression on him in the nine months since taking him as the 14th overall pick out of the University of Virginia. Teel is represented by superagent Scott Boras, potentially lessening the chances he signs an extension before debuting.
“I can say this: I love the Red Sox. I love this organization,” Teel said. “There’s nowhere else I’d rather be. With that being said, that’s down the line and the No. 1 thing I’m focusing on right now is preparing to play the Fightin’ Phils.”
Anthony, 19, acknowledged he has paid attention to the fact the Red Sox have made efforts to lock up players like Bello, Rafaela and first baseman Triston Casas, who remains unsigned but will be a priority moving forward. Hammering out a deal of his own isn’t a priority as he approaches his 20th birthday May 13.
“It’s great to see they have locked up some of the guys who are younger and the guys they think are the future. It’s obviously something that, right now, at 19, my goal is to continue to learn, get better and help the team win whenever I’m there.,” Anthony said “So I don’t really know yet.
“It’s a tough question because I don’t know how those look and I haven’t really been involved with anything like that. I don’t know the logistics of it. Obviously, I love where I’m at, I love the Red Sox, I love the organization. They drafted me. My goal and my dream is to win a World Series in Boston. To be honest, I don’t think about any of that. I don’t play the game for money. I play the game because I love playing the game. Lucky enough, I have a family that supports me and will continue to support me for as long as I need. Eventually, I’d like to make my own so I can support my family one day. But it’s not really something I focus on.”
