The Red Sox announced that they have signed prospect Kristian Campbell to an eight-year contract extension which runs from 2025 to 2032 with club options for 2033 and 2034. It is reportedly a $60MM guarantee which breaks down as follows: Campbell gets a $2MM signing bonus and a $1MM salary this year. He will then make $2MM, $3MM, $4MM, $6MM, $9MM, $13MM and $16MM in the next seven seasons. The first club option is valued at $19MM and has a $4MM buyout, then the second option is worth $21MM. There are also escalators based on awards voting and All-Star selections. The Sox are buying out two of Campbell’s free agent seasons with the options allowing them to extend their window by two more years after that.
Campbell’s stock has been shooting up for quite a while now. The Sox selected him with the 132nd overall pick in 2023, giving him a signing bonus of just under $500K. He played 22 minor league games just after that signing with a strong .309/.440/.471 line.
His success continued in his first full season. Last year, he vaulted from Single-A to Double-A and Triple-A, hitting a combined .330/.439/.558. That production led to a wRC+ of 180. He drew walks in 14.3% of his plate appearances while only striking out 19.9% of the time. He also stole 24 bases while lining up defensively at second base, third base, shortstop and in the outfield.
That huge season shot him up prospect lists heading into 2025. Each of Baseball America, MLB Pipeline, FanGraphs and Keith Law of The Athletic had Campbell among the top ten prospects in the entire league this winter.
That also got Campbell in line to make the majors this year, with second base eventually emerging as the best path. The outfield is already fairly crowded, with Jarren Duran, Ceddanne Rafaela and Wilyer Abreu in there now. Roman Anthony will join that group at some point soon. Then there’s Masataka Yoshida, who largely slotted in as the designated hitter last year. But with the Sox going with Alex Bregman at third and Rafael Devers as the DH, there’s no room for Yoshida in there. Bregman could perhaps opt-out after this year but the Sox could have Marcelo Mayer take over that spot, since Trevor Story has shortstop spoken for.
There are lots of moving pieces but Campbell nonetheless got the second base job to start the year. He actually had a fairly tepid spring showing but the club showed faith in him and he has hit .375/.500/.688 in his first five big league contests.
Though he has made his major league debut, this is effectively comparable to pre-debut extensions. As shown in MLBTR’s Contract Tracker, the benchmark for a guy with no service time is Jackson Chourio’s eight-year, $82MM extension from just over a year ago. That topped the previous record, which was $50MM for Luis Robert Jr., a deal that’s a few years in the past. Campbell got past Robert but didn’t quite get to Chourio’s level but that’s fairly understandable. Campbell is turning 23 in June while Chourio was just about to turn 20 years old in March of last year, with that difference giving Chourio some extra earning power.
It’s perhaps not an accident that the club waited until after Opening Day to get this deal done. It was reported last March that players who sign pre-debut extensions, like Chourio, aren’t eligible for the prospect promotion incentive. To discourage service time manipulation, the current collective bargaining agreement put measures in place to encourage teams to carry top prospects on Opening Day rosters. One of those measures is that top prospects who are called up early enough to earn a full service year can earn their clubs an extra draft pick via awards voting.
Campbell came into this year as a consensus top prospect and cracked the Opening Day roster. That means he can earn the Sox an extra pick by winning Rookie of the Year or finishing top three in MVP voting during his pre-arb years. That would have come off the table if this contract were signed prior to the start of the season but is still in play for Boston now that they’ve waited a few days into the campaign.
For Campbell, it’s easy to see why he preferred to lock up this kind of money earlier in his career. As mentioned, he wasn’t a huge name going into the draft. While some players can earn multiple millions on their signing bonuses, Campbell was limited to under $500K. Even though he cracked this year’s Opening Day roster, he wasn’t going to qualify for arbitration until after 2027. This deal allows him to put some life-changing money in the bank ahead of schedule.
Even the top prospects will sometimes struggle in the big leagues and Campbell was a sort of surprise surger last year. If he hits any speed bumps in the coming years, he is financially secure. He is potentially limited himself in the future, though. If the two options are picked up, he won’t hit free agency until he’s going into his age-33 season.
For the Sox, they clearly believe the future is bright and have gained some cost certainty and control over essentially Campbell’s entire prime. Should he continue to thrive on the field in the coming years, he’ll be a relative bargain. Even when he’s making eight-figure salaries in the later years of the deal, that’s still well below what top players get on the open market.
It’s the second significant extension they’ve given out in recent days. They inked left-hander Garrett Crochet to a $170MM deal earlier this week. That was a different animal as Crochet is far closer to free agency and more established as a big leaguer.
Another key difference between the two is that Crochet’s deal doesn’t start until 2026 and therefore doesn’t impact Boston’s competitive balance tax number here in 2025, but the Campbell deal does. RosterResource calculates the club’s CBT number at $249MM, beyond the $241MM base threshold. Back in February, president Sam Kennedy said the club was already over the line and planned to stay there.
Christopher Smith of MassLive first relayed the $60MM guarantee. Julian McWilliams of CBS Sports first reported the option values. Alex Speier of The Boston Globe, reported the full annual breakdown and escalators.
Photos courtesy of Kevin Jairaj and Nathan Ray Seebeck, Imagn Images
Now do Anthony and Mayer.
Drink some soap!
I’m hoping Mayer can be effective , but the guys been knocked back by injuries almost every year in the minors. I’d want to see him stay healthy and produce at the big league level a little before committing ANYTHING
First trade Devers.
Whoa!! That escalated quickly.
And cheaply…? That AAV is very team friendly.
Considering he more than likely doesn’t turn into Aaron Judge those are very high arbitration numbers.
Are you sure? Sub 30M through the end of his arb years? That seems very attainable.
Your assuming he meets or exceeds expectations without getting injured. It allows him to get paid again while locking in enough money to protect his family and obviously then some. Great deal for both sides.
I agree, but I still don’t think they are ‘very high’ arb numbers.
The highest arbitration salary for a second baseman was $14.2 million and that was Gleyber Torres last year. Now in 4-5 years that will be different. But even still historically 2B are the lowest paid position players.
Good point Rod. Although his main position will be 2B, he can play most anywhere. Not sure if that boosts his cash value, but he’s definitely valuable.
I think the kid is gonna be better than solid. If you squint at him, you can kinda see a little bit of Mookie. Same build, short swing, quick hands.
Campbell is 6’3”, Mookie is 5’9”… what do you mean same build?
Lanky and loosey goosey.
And I watch games on an iPhone 8.
bouy – I see more similarities with Campbell and Xander.
Not just because they are one inch apart, but the personalities are so similar. I called it long ago Campbell would give a nice size discount, just like Xander did with Dombrowski. They are super nice guys, very laid back, and are not about the money …. unlike Mookie who was all about the money (which I don’t hold against him).
You gotta squint
The whole contract is less then what Soto was paid in his arbitration years.
So? That’s 2B vs one of the best OF in the game who immediately produced huge numbers. Soto had also completed 4 seasons by the time he was Campbell’s age. You have to look at 2B salary to compare, not OF. He’s making $18 million more than Semien made through arbitration, It’s just $5 million less than Katel Marte has made so far in his whole career.
Juan Soto is DEFINITELY NOT “one of the BEST OF in the game”. If you’re speaking OFFENSE only,sure. I for one look at players from BOTH offensively AND defensively. In that situation, Juan is nowhere near the best.
You’re delusional and not having a debate in good faith if you don’t consider Soto isn’t one of the best OF in the game. Even taking in account his subpar defense, Soto is still one of the best OF in the game.
I have 765 million reasons to agree with this post.
Lol… Those are Bargain Arb #s. His Arb years start in 2028. You also have to discount for inflation over the next 4 years and the yearly increases in the MLB salary tax levels on the team. When you combine the two the discount in current $ is a MINIMUM of 10% the first year alone. Then it escalates from there.
$60M is Bargain Basement… Then they hold 2 options at what will be an approximate 50% discount to current values.
Again at 2B, that isn’t bargain basement arb numbers. Yes, if you compare him to top earning positions like OF, SS, 3B etc then yes that’s cheap. But not at 2B.
His Arb years are $4M/2028 $6M/2029 $9M/2030 THAT is Cheap. Those are 2025 numbers being Paid 4, 5 & 6 seasons from now. In comparison…
Glayber Torres got $14.2 in 2024 for his 3rd Arb year alone.
We have nothing to base his arbitration years on. You need a season of performance to tell what he might make. 1st year arbitration eligible 2B have averaged $1.39 million over the past 6 seasons. 2nd year arb eligible 2B have averaged $1.84 million per bWAR in their 1st arbitration eligible season over the last 6 seasons. Arbitration is not calculated on WAR, that has just been how it has worked out.
Exactly. Great deal! Some people just like to argue.
Probably because he has 16 MLB at bats. It’s a gamble in both directions.
Swan – I totally agree!
Great deal by Breslow, this makes me very happy :O)
It’s like the Alex Anthopolous school of team building in application….
Just need to trade for Chris Sale…
Major – Years from now it will make for a good bar trivia question ……. “Who was traded straight-up for Hall of Fame pitcher Chris Sale right before Chris won a Triple Crown and Cy Young?”.
For those who thought Merril’s extension was a bit chintzy…
Might as well…
I wanna get million after 16 at bats too!
Be born with the talent and put in the constant work, and it shall be so
@deepseamonster32- Amen-
you cant even spell right.
* can’t
** Can too **
cant LOL
RussianFemboySportsFan
you cant even spell right.
==============================
Isn’t it spelled r-i-g-h-t?
Wish the Yankees would do this with wells and volpe
That ship has sailed
Not with Wells. He’s only in his second year. Volpe hasn’t shown enough, although there is still a price where it makes sense.
I think the Yankees should for Wells. Volpe has to show he’s an above .300 OBP
unglar – Do you think the Yankees would trade Wells, Volpe and Hess for Devers? Seems like a win-win. Devers and Judge could be a deadly duo and Wells is the catcher we need, Volpe for when Story gets hurt and Hess is a big arm for the future.
They have Mayer for Story. Devers and Casas for Guerrero, ideally, but that’s not happening obviously. Perhaps Devers, some money for his contract and Casas for Pasquatino and Perez. Idk, not too many 1B or Catchers possibly available and that’s about all Boston needs, imo. Maybe those guys (and money) to the A’s for Langeliers and Rooker. Rooker can probably play 1B, I’d think.
Not many interested in Casas.
Tristan Casas needs to step up and have a great year. He needs to play a full season and he needs to produce and he needs to do it now.
Maybe a dumb question, but why not groom Devers to play 1B?
&
The price tag is only going up on Volpe and Wells, and the likelihood to retain them shrinks, right?
I was thinking the same thing. I can see him at first, and it may make him happier. I don’t know why, but I think Casas’ days on the Sox are numbered.
And he needs to stop talking so much.
I don’t look at Volpe and think “man, this is a guy we have to get signed before he gets way too expensive”. He’s a very good defender with some pop who still needs to get on base a bit more.
I would argue that the time to extend players is before they reach the next level. Even just one year from now, he could be a 30/30/.275 SS with a good glove. And I think the floor is very high.
As a RS fan, I hope the NYY do not extend him.
Red Clowns got FLEECED again…this guy is a utility slap-hitter. Another hyped up bust…
Yankmees suck loser.
No need to feed the trolls. Even if he busts, the last way to describe him is as a “slap” hitter, so the insincerity is revealed then and there. Easy to let go!
Longinus – Wasn’t Tony Gwynn considered a slap hitter at the beginning. Seems like a fair comparison. Both should end up in the HOF. Also, is Yankee fan troll redundant?
Is that Shrek that ripped the ball out of Mookie’s glove calling the Sox red clowns? I think he’s bitter that the yankees can’t draft winners.
Another NY dummy
Almost every Yankees prospect is a over hyped bust. Campbell’s season just started and he’s already hit the ball 112 mph, with one of the quickest swings in baseball, not to mention a great eye and speed. Guy’s going to be a stud
Clint Fraser is on line 2. Ahahahahahaha!
When this guy is the next “biggest bargain in baseball” you’ll be crying over your billion dollar IL. I’ll take my chances on young players all day over actually resigning an aging Cole when they could’ve walked away.
The guy is under hyped. He is going to be a super star for the next 15 years.
another insecure yankees troll.
I really hope you’re not talkin to me, cause I’ll banish you faster than a NY minute! Ahahahahahahaha!
I was replying to the unoriginal Clarence not you. Red Clowns? that’s lame. try Red Sucks or something like that at least a little clever.
I am curious how you would plan to banish someone.
Ignorant comment by someone who has no clue Clarence. The dude is probably a star by the end of this year. He makes contact, he hits the ball hard, he has a good eye, he doesn’t chase pitches so in other words exactly what you want in a young hitter. His only real vulnerable spot is fastballs in because he kind of dives a bit but his hands are so quick you better really bust him in or he’s going to laser it all over the field. The kid is going to be a star and it’s going to happen soon it might already be happening.
Now just get Anthony up soon he’s ready. Marcelo Mayer needs to show he can stay healthy before getting the call so maybe you let him percolate in AAA. The future is very bright for the Boston Red Sox.
It’s then time to pay attention to the pitching coming over the next couple of years Early and Sandlin are ready to break out but 18 year old Juan Valera might have made the biggest strides he will start in Greenville as an 18 year old who is now 98-100 with movement and a filthy slider and nasty change for the lefties. He just needs to tunnel those pitches better and he has ace level stuff. It’s not going to matter in High A they can know what pitch is coming but his stuff so filthy they can’t hit it but he’s going to have to tunnel better at the higher levels. Still an 18 year old with that kind of stuff hasn’t seen that in the Red Sox system for a long long time.
Bruin: don’t forget about Delzine too. I’m really looking forward to seeing what he can do same with Dorian Soto.
Acell I said before I really don’t comment much on guys I haven’t seen play. With that said the international class this year seems to be getting universal praise.
I am excited to see Dalvinson Reyes stateside this year a 6’6” strike thrower with quality secondaries and huge projection for velocity seems big time potential to me. Juan Valera is real though some buddies of mine I met I met on trips down to spring training tell me his stuff looks like that of a true number one. I can’t wait to watch him in Greenville which is a good hitters park. He’s still a ways away but his stuff even last year as a young 18 year old was high end if it has taken another jump the look out we will know soon.
Bruin: Well if you we haven’t seen them play it’s still fun to read up on them and speculate hahaha. But I’ve heard good things about Reyes. IF you haven’t seen him play yet I hope you get to watch Arias this year. He’s another player I like.
Acell I have seen Arias at Salem he’s an excellent prospect. He was 18 at Salem last year and he more than held his own. Here’s the thing that I remember distinctly the few games after he was called up from the complex league he hammered the ball then he went into an awful slump hitless in like 20 at bats but he fought his way through that slump and really finished with a flourish. I was very impressed with his makeup as well as his baseball skills.
A guy I really want to see is Nazzan Zanatello. Last year he was completely lost at Salem his in zone miss was frightening. Haven’t heard much about him from the back fields but interesting to see what adjustments he makes.
Bruin1012 – Valera is off to a great start for a youngster. His velocity will draw raves from many scouts. It’s too early to know if he’s a thrower or pitcher but more arm is usually better than less arm.
Early needs to prove his success at the lower levels of the minors will continue because upper level hitters should have more success dealing with his plus pitch the change-up. Time will tell if his stuff is good enough.
Sandlin with his huge arm should head to the bullpen initially. Then after he gets used to MLB hitters, they should stretch him out to a starter if he doesn’t need TJ surgery by then.
Saga I am very high on Connelly Early. His fastball velocity continues to tick up. It sounds like he is now sitting in that 95 range and that is huge for him. A velocity gain to 95-97 would make all of his secondaries grade up even more. He’s a five pitch pitcher and he just missed bats
and a ton of ground balls. He pitched well at the end of the season in AA. I expect big things from Early especially if he can hold 94-96 with his fastball. Hopefully he gets to pitch this weekend weather can be dicey early in Portland.
He’s a typical yankee fan. There are over 3 million rats in NYC.
Let’s goooooo
A couple of very team-friendly deals today. Congrats to the guys locking in their generational wealth though.
These deals have a pretty big zero risk, especially for positions that rely on pure athleticism.
Zero-risk, as in Campbell and Merrill fall off the table? There’s always a chance, I guess, but I’d bet against it.
What does “a pretty big zero risk” even mean??
@coop
He wanted to sound smart.
Were Halfway There!!!!
We’re livin’ on a prayer…
Ooooh. Ooooh.
They took third from Devers and broke his heart, 15K’s to start the season, he wont ever be back to normal on that team.
Now you can say that’s unprofessional and that he will get over it because as Cora said, “We’re in the winning business” but losing your position is difficult to cope with especially when you are still in your prime. He’s certainly not locked in because he is emotionally hurt losing third base.
Be a pro, you’re making 30M you could say, but those aspects of baseball and those roots go way back to the playground. Devers has been at third his whole life Id imagine. Nobody could take that from him because he was the best player on the diamond his entire life. Cora took it from him, wounded his heart. Might be a 60 Day injury.
You could say he’s being a baby, but its a human heart. It will be interesting to see how he rebounds because that certainly is why he is off to a slow start.
If he took it serious, he would have shed all that weight and convert some to muscle. He knew he had a target on his back regarding his defense. When he cashes his $30M checks, does he have a heart? maybe…maybe not
You can say what you want about it, Boston is on the hook for nine more seasons at 30M per. You’re talking about a guy who has hit .278/.344/.508 for his career, you let your new puppy come in and piss on his locker.
He hit fine last season. Did he get fatter? I dont know. I do know that I’m right about his slow start. I do know thats its a huge contract. Boston has the prospects to plug it up, but it really is somewhat of a blunder and that is managements mistake not Rafael Devers, you should have known how he felt about playing third before you extended him. Interesting situation, Id say Devers gets it back on track but he might not. He might harbor resentment all season while watching Bregman play third from the bench, he might never be the same.
You might want to give this take more than 19 ABs. He also missed 75% of Spring Training and is coming back from injuries to both shoulders.
Don’t overreact to the dreaded Small Sample Size.
That’s my take and Im sticking to it, its going to be an issue all season.
Can you give me your best guess for his stat line at the end of the season? I want to save this and laugh later.
This year has rookie year?
.263 average, 12 homers, whatever RBI.., Decent defense, and a hint that he’s going to get even better.
He goes 20-100 in April with 35K’s and the Red Sox move him out of the lineup in favor of Anthony and Yoshida in May, maybe he only gets 400 ABs this season.
He shouldnt have any issue putting up .250/.310/.450 – around league average across the board.
Got it, you have him out of the lineup by May. This won’t take long at all to prove you wrong. I’ll see you in May!
bwmiller79
He shouldnt have any issue putting up .250/.310/.450 – around league average across the board.
=========================
League average OPS was .711 last year.
League average 2b was .684.
A .760 would actually be pretty good.
If Devers is a so called Professional, then he needs to suck it up and get after it, without the cry baby sulking routine. You got your big bucks and the boss says tighten up! Lose some weight, get that swing to the competitive level!
That’s a funny one, you are talking about a guy who has averaged .280/.350/.525 for the last four seasons. Wasnt he fat last year? He can hit. His swing is fine. His fat arse isnt that much fatter. He doesnt need to lose any weight. His focus is shattered.
Pablo Sandoval was a more than serviceable third baseman while being the fattest guy in MLB. Also, I hope you’re never on the receiving end of a deceptive boss.
I think he’s going to be fine bwmiller.
He’s a grown man and I’m sure his life hasn’t been all birthday parties and pony rides.
He’s undoubtedly faced a lot more adversity than “changing positions” lol.
The Yankees need a third baseman. They will trade you G Stanton and his elbows and take that contract off your hands. They’ll be happy with his bad defense hitting in front of Judge and demolishing homers for the next eight seasons because he aint going to be hitting in Boston again. You think its easy to get over, it isnt.
Bwmiller79 – Wow what a bunch of BS. This kid got deemed the future of the Red Sox at age 14 when his fielding percentage at 3B was well below .950. 14 years later there has been NO IMPROVEMENT.
Think about every pitcher who had to put up with such a pathetic fielder. I feel sorry for them. This kid is spoil and immature. He should never had a glove on his had after he proved how bad he was in the minors. That’s unfortunate for his team mates who paid the price of his hubris. There should be NO SYMPATHY for a spoiled brat who cares more for the name on the back of the jersey than the front.
Time for the kid to grow up or move on. His status as the future of the Red Sox is GONE thanks to Campbell and his position at 3B is gone thanks to Bregman. It’s called a performance based approach to baseball not a political approach to baseball. Devers should apologize to all his pitching staffs for costing them so much money by being a crap 3B who created ERA and WHIPs far higher than the should have been which cost all of them a ton of money that went into his pockets.
NOPE NO SYMPATHY FOR THE DEVIL. Devers got what was LONG overdue.!!
Devers was at .960 with 12 errors last season. Machado was at .970 with 7 errors last season.
Range factor and runs saved metrics probably dont show Devers in a positive light but he is capable of holding down the position. If anything he was improving defensively.
Devers had the range of an ottoman.
bwmiller79 – You can’t possibly think what you wrote. Have you not watched him for the last 14 years or at least the last 8 years in the MLB? He is OFFICIALLY the worst 3B in baseball with his 141 errors in less than 8 full seasons. He leads all 3Bs in career errors that are active today and his fielding percentage while aided by generous calls by the score keepers is still 17 points below league average for his career.
He is the UNDISPUTABLE worst 3B on defense in baseball and we haven’t seen comparable fielding stats since the DEAD BALL ERA when fields were rough and the baseball was used until it couldn’t be. The ball often wasn’t round thanks to the impact of the bats so bad hops were commonplace. Yes, those fielders had a comparable fielding percentage to Devers who plays on manicured fields.
You need a big dose of reality!!! hahaha It’s like you have never seen him play. He’s got a slow first step, hands of stone, an arm that needs radar attached to it to get the correct general direction of 1B, his footwork leaves him off balance most of the time and he has no baseball acumen when it comes to WHEN to cut off a ball to SS. Basically, he the equivalent of a little league fielder who is average. At the mlb level or even the milb level he’s an embarrassment.
Those are the facts according to the record books!!! Wake up and sniff some coffee or something that allows you to live in the real world not the dream world!!!
His ’24 season wasnt that bad but like I said Id bet the Yankees would gladly take his offense and sacrifice a little defense to keep him happy. If your going to pay a guy 30M for the next decade season, you had better do everything it takes to keep him happy. If you dont keep him happy you risk your significant long term investment, that’s bad business, not winning business.
Trevor Story couldnt hit a watermelon.
Trevor story is a very good hitter. Not sure what you’re thinking today Miller?
Of course he hits a HR after my post on how terrible he is. I think he’s a dog with fleas at the plate though.
But what about diversity, equity and inclusion? Are you trying to suggest the Red Sox chose merit? 😉
he needs to emotionally mature if he can’t get over that he’s clearly a lesser-defensive third baseman
He is a 28 year old kid, this will help him in that department, but he wont play for the Red Sox again. Your shortsighted GM, if he can see the phone on his desk, should be on the phone with the Yankees. If you send them Mayer, they’ll take that contract off your hands and you can save yourself from the cancer you created.
Should of been Trevor Story out of town, he is a complete bum. Should have been Devers at third, Bregman at second, Yoshida at DH and Campbell in the OF. But you let Cora screw that up.
By the way, thanks for Teel and Montgomery. Enjoy Garrett Crochet and his high leg kick.
28 years old is a kid?
Should of been Devers at 3B, Mayer at SS, Campbell at 2B, Casas at 1B. Rafaella, Abreu and Anthony in the OF, Teel at C with Yoshida at DH. Buehler, Houck, Bello, Crawford and Giolito with Newcomb, Fitts, Priester plugging up any holes. Have Sandoval in ’26. Could of spent that Bregman dough on a starter and a veteran, Lance Lynn and Brandon Drury would have been a good fit. Probably would have saved 20M this season going that route. You’d still have Meidroth, Montgomery and Gonzalez for a trade, throw in Fitts or Priester that would have been enough to land you a starter from the Padres at the trade deadline if you were in a position to win, assuming the Padres are going to trade one or both of their aces. They might actually win this year but there would have been a starter out there.
I like Crochet, he is a good pitcher but that leg kick might not age well, he is a big guy, that hip might go, that knee might get soft.
Bregman was a bad choice. The sooner Trevor Story sees the bench the better. Interesting saga in Boston now though, because that Devers contract is expensive for nine more seasons.
Terrible take. Just awful, for so many reasons. The leg kick not aging well is hilarious though. Thanks for the laugh.
Im a White Sox fan, I liked Crochet but when I first saw him pitch, I said no way is that motion with that leg kick going to be repeatable, I thought he would prove to be a little wild, he proved me wrong with a 209K/33BB ratio. Big guy, big arms big legs big body, I like that in a pitcher but I still think that leg kick isnt going to age well. Hip is heavily involved, a lot coming down on his plant leg, time will tell. Had a great start tonight.
I dont like rooting against people and Im not rooting against, just my opinion on his mechanics.
You had me at you second word – NOT!! Absolutely horrible take, both in content and composition.
I like Eury Perez, his mechanics are smooth. From the left side, I like Carlos Rodon, he has perfect mechanics. Crochet not so much. But I watched a lot of his highlights, he somehow slows that leg down and plants with his toe pointed at home everytime, somehow he kicks that huge leg of his high like a showgirl and plants it just so. Its a weird delivery that obviously is working out well, great start yesterday. As far as Crochet aging well, I believe my take is accurate, a lot of moving parts in that delivery from the windup, Crochet is a big man, that leg kick might be an issue later in his career. His stretch delivery is rather quiet though, which could benefit him. Devers picked up a couple of hits but Id still be concerned about that situation.
Take a few minutes to reevaluate. Garrett Crochet’s mechanics post TJS are nothing short of elite. Perhaps the best in the league. His lower half is so incredibly efficient and his power is effortless. Also, specifically take notes of his hip clearing and just how soft his plant leg actually touches the ground. It’s textbook technique. Elite on so many levels. Have another look.
Or, it could be because he was told not to do any baseball activities all winter, and didn’t get into spring training games until the very end
Nice story bwmiller, watch baseball much?
I guess there ain’t no room for Vaughn Grissom
.312 Minors Average but little pop
This won’t undo the Mookie Betts and Devers blunders.
How about the Babe Ruth blunder? Does this take care of that?
Put away your worn out history books and look forward. You keep looking backwards you’re gonna run into something and get hurt.
Or worse, you’ll turn into Clarence Thomas & the Spankees are Your Daddies !!!
I miss Mookie like everyone else but the fact is to get David Price and his over payment out of the house it had to happen. If the boss says get under the limit, then you better damn sight get under it!
Don’t forget about these all-time corkers.
-Carl Crawford
-Pablo Sandoval
-Hanley Ramirez
-Rusney Castillo
$400M that translated to 1.8 WAR. Marone!
Bart, who could forget? Yikes.
I said give him acuna’s deal 100mil with 2 options
Thats exactly what he got
What a day for elite young talent!
Sox made the right move
I hope he got a key-man clause of Breslow as PBO.
Excited for none of the Red Sox deals to work out and the fans cry poor and for Henry’s head again. The cycle repeats.
Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face. This is straight out of the Rick Hahn playbook. Just be prepared for it to go t*ts up.
Funny how teams are trying this out. I suspect it messes with their priorities. Guys without deals have to work under the uncertainty of arbitration. These deals mean they don’t have to worry about the nastiness of the owners and they don’t tighten up.
Nice move, Boston!
Meanwhile at friendly confines, Ricketts is already scrounging couch money for the offseason when he “tries” to sign Tucker lol
Thanks Gwynning. I purposely read this thread so I could compare the RS responses to the Padre responses re Merrill. In SD, they declared it a national holiday with BBQs and fireworks galore.
The RS fans, not so very much.
Past that, congratulations on Merrill. Hopefully this works out for both teams.
This is what smart teams do… sign a 22yr old to a modest deal, then be done with him at the age of 30-31
You mean like Pedro, Nomar, Jason Bay, Johnny Damon, Jacoby Ellsbury, those guys?
Not sure why you would reference Pedro (traded to BOS, signed big extension), Bay (traded to BOS), and Damon (BOS FA signing) when the topic is extending homegrown guys very early in their careers. Unless you’re suggesting that MON, PIT, and KC should have locked those guys down early on?
We let those guys walk when they wanted big money and in their 30s.
I guess I was referencing the second half of his comment rather than the first, which is probably the point. Good catch.
Got ripped off compared to Merrill
Doesn’t Merrill have a year in the majors under his belt?
Can’t blame this kid for signing this contract. As with any young player, you just never know so it’s a great deal for both sides.
Then if he does turn into something he can get paid from age 30 to 35+. That’s when he’ll get his big bag. It’s just how baseball works.
I tell you what, if the Red Sox had waited till next off-season.., and Campbell rakes this year, it’ll be a lot more than 9 for 135.
Its 20 PA to 616 for Merrill. We might call this a premature… you know what on the part of the Red Sucks.
But right now I’m just enjoying that hold onto Devers and trade Betts line. I’m actually watching Red Sucks games now just to watch the pudgy DH whiff!
That’s just a bad reply all around doctor. Can’t say any of it holds any value whatsoever.
No guarantee that he won’t be another Scott Kingery. Should’ve waited a year.
Not a terrible deal in a sense, probably should have waited but they obviously like what they’ve seen so far
but they obviously like what they’ve seen so far
==========================
It’s obviously a small sample, but in the back of my mind, I was thinking they needed his signature before he does any more damage.. Those two doubles last night were classic hitting.
I know it’s early, and I was one of the fans that thought he should start in AAA, but he’s been even better than advertised.
Congratulations to Kristian on signing a life-changing deal. Let’s hope it works out well for both sides.
I do feel for Devers. He need to go 10 for his next 21 just to get his average to .250…let’s how bad of a start he’s had. I truly believe he gets out of his slump tonight and not only gets his first hit, but his first HR too. He loves hitting in Camden Yards.
I honestly think part of Devers struggles are like the 2019 rotation. The poor guy just didn’t have a ST.
Then you’re trying to get up to speed using only 3 or 4 ABs in an entire game. That’s tough on anyone, forget the drama and distractions. It’s not bad pitch recognition. It’s not chasing. A huge part of his issue is just not having his timing down.
In spring training, he would’ve been pulled by the 5th inning, getting only 1-2 ABs. Don’t see this as being a downgrade from spring training.
Styme, spring training is quite a bit more than 2 at bats, 3 times a week.
Devers missed all of the standard workouts to help ramp up a player for the regular season. It’s not the at bats in the games.
A+
Can’t see extending him for any cheaper. This is like Albies adjusted for inflation.
Good bet. Not the best or most sure thing but why it cost what it did. Great bet to make. Risk reward ratio is there.
Don’t know why he would want to stay. A leopard doesn’t change his spots. Just because they are “very progressive”
SOUPER news for CAMPBELL !!
Is Marcello Mayer still jelly of Kristian Campbell for stealing his roster spot?
I don’t think the jelly ever appeared.
There’s no way they give an often injured, never played AAA, 22- year-old, the starting second base job for the major league team.
He has to show us one healthy season in the minors first does he not?
If you’re here to troll, spell the name right. But more importantly, did you really think they were going to start someone at 2B, that had never played 2B before? And then move him from the left side of the IF to the right side?
This is a very good move for both parties. Couldn’t be happier for the kid. And it shows the other top prospects a lot about the organization’s willingness to invest in home grown talent. Odds that Campbell Anthony and Mayer all live up to their hype are very slim but there’s a lot to be said about the confidence gained with feeling secure about your future with the team that drafted you. Well done RS front office
Hello orioles??! Care to lock up any of your guys? Hello. Anyone home?
I can lose my RS card for this, but extending your guys would be good for baseball.
It’s time to sign Duran to a long term deal. He’s earned it, and he’s getting more expensive with every passing inning.
NOOOOOO !!!!!!
I think I’m one of the few who is adamant about trading Duran now while he’s at his peak.
I think past history has shown with this guy he could be a flash in the pan. He’s had one and a half good years, well great years, lol, And he’s a speed guy and he’s 29 or so?
I say dump him now at the high end for pitching. A nice centerfielder is in demand so the Red Sox should be able to get a nice young pitcher in return plus or minus whatever works out.
Gary: I’ve been with you the whole time regarding Duran. Trade him for young pitching and if they can get a young catcher out of it too.
From a rotisserie perspective, maybe. But from a team perspective, I want to keep everyone together.
This is a good move. Now, somwone please explain to Cora that you pencil him in at 2B everyday and leave him there, let him get comfortable and grow. I don’t want to see him in the OF anymore. If you need someone that bad, let Hamilton play there or call up Anthony.
Certainly bad news for Casas though.
This has made Raffaele redundant and expendable. I don’t think the contract that he has would be a detriment in trade talks, because he’s a serviceable major league player.
In that vain, let’s start piling up players behind Raffaele to get Alcantara.
An impressive rotation for the next three years could be:
Alcantara
Crochet
Houck
Bello
probably W.Abreu gets that role before they ship Rafaela.
And its yet another stupid move by the Sox. They really are trying to compete with the Mets as the worst run franchise. 16 AB’s… I’m sold!!!!! Don’t even bother responding Sox and Met fans. The history of your teams speaks for you.
you started drinking early today
The history of our team is four rings in 20 years. And you’re using the history of our team against the Sox in a comment? Suspect strategy at best.
DrDick – If it takes 5 years for ownership to spend money, I would get as many contracts locked down now before it changes out of nowhere like it did in 2019. It’s a very minimal gamble and he was the Minor League Player of the Year last year. Others include Holliday, Henderson for Baltimore and a decade ago Trout. He’s also on a very, very team friendly contract. This kid may win a MVP in the next several years like Mookie. If that happens, you’ll be eating your words.
Never heard of him
That’s exactly when you sign them. Before everyone else hears of them lol.
Anthony isn’t that stupid and I don’t think Mayer is either that’s a very club friendly deal smh
Great deal for the team, I thought $100M/8 would have been fair.
This and the Crochet look like money well spent! Already paying off big time in the first game for both in which they got PAID!
Dear Red Sox,
OLD guys on overpriced long term deals = bad
YOUNG guys on bargain priced long term deals = good(with the occasional dude who doesn’t quite pan out….)
and in fairness the financial commitment in the guys that don’t pan general aren’t too high.
This is a bet on the CBA itself. The current agreement expires after 2026, and if the next iteration raises the CBT threshold (projected 15-20% increase based on revenue trends) or expands PPI rewards, Boston’s early mover advantage compounds. They’ve secured Campbell’s prime at a fixed cost while retaining flexibility to exploit future rule changes, all without sacrificing the draft pick upside Chourio’s deal surrendered.
If he’s really that good like everyone says then he’d get double that.. decent signing by the BoSox.
It’s “only” 60 mil but this seems too aggressive. I’m glad he got his money but I think they shouldn’t sign people until they say a good season worth of at bats under their belt. Do they become more expensive, sure… but ball players are so up and down… it’s such a hard game
How about Crochet’s performance directly after signing an extension? What a way to say thank you!
Casas??? Love that he bet on himself but???