Red Sox Legend Has Bold Statement On Roman Anthony's $130M Contract

Already worth it an then some, declares Big Papi

Jul 27, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox right fielder Roman Anthony (19) runs the bases after hitting a RBI triple against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the fifth inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images | Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images

Roman Anthony may not have gotten to finish out the season, but his 71 games in a Boston Red Sox uniform were enough to make anyone involved with the franchise confident.

So confident, in fact, that the Red Sox signed Anthony to an eight-year, $130 million extension in August, blowing away the record for the most money ever guaranteed to a rookie. Though he sustained an oblique injury that cost him the final month of the season, there was an argument to be made that Anthony was the most valuable Red Sox position player of the entire season.

There will be immense pressure on Anthony to help lead the Red Sox offense from the jump next season, and to stay on the field for a full 162 games on top of that. But one franchise icon has extremely high confidence in his ability to do so.

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David Ortiz gushes about Roman Anthony

On Friday, former Red Sox 10-time All-Star designated hitter David Ortiz not only emphasized that Anthony was the "face of the franchise," but also emphasized his belief that the $130 million price tag was well worth the risk for Boston and then some.

“When you have a guy that talented, that young and that mature, that’s the full package,” Ortiz told host Chris Cotillo on the "Fenway Rundown" podcast. “You know you have a face of the franchise. A guy like him, you know your money is worth it. That’s why we gave him that big deal out of the gate, right away, because he’s worth that much.”

Anthony is in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. this weekend to participate in Ortiz's "Weekend with Papi" golf charity event, and Ortiz raved about the rookie, who he already had the chance to meet in Boston earlier this year.

“I got to meet him, with his parents this year,” Ortiz told Cotillo. “What a beautiful family. He has a brother he just looks like. His mom and dad are a proud mom and dad right now. I would be too. His mentality and his focus, it’s not from a 21-year-old guy. Trust me.”

Ortiz isn't the only powerful figure in the Red Sox organization with high expectations for Anthony, but by all accounts, Anthony is ready to shoulder those expectations.

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