Roman Anthony's Rookie Of The Year Finish Came With $3 Million Loss

Contracts are so complicated these days...

Aug 22, 2025; Bronx, New York, USA; Boston Red Sox right fielder Roman Anthony (19) after an at bat against the New York Yankees during the first inning at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images | Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

Boston Red Sox star Roman Anthony never had a realistic shot to win American League Rookie of the Year, but he definitely was in the mix to finish second.

On Monday, Athletics slugging first baseman Nick Kurtz was deservingly named the Rookie of the Year after clubbing 36 home runs and posting a gaudy 1.002 OPS in 114 games. The real race, though, was between A's teammate Jacob Wilson and Anthony for second place.

When the votes were totaled, Wilson gathered 23 of the 30 possible second-place votes, and Anthony got just three. He outpaced Anthony 107 to 72 in total voting points and cruised to the second-place selection.

Top-two finishes in Rookie of the Year voting have come to mean more in the last few seasons because players can earn full years of service time by achieving them. But for Anthony, who signed an eight-year, $130 million extension in August, the third-place spot meant something else entirely.

Anthony loses out on at least $3 million

As Boston Globe reporter Tim Healey pointed out after the voting results came in, Anthony lost out on at least $3 million by finishing in third place, because of how his contract is structured.

Per Chris Cotillo of MassLive, Anthony's contract included a $1 million escalator to his salary for every season from 2031 to 2033 if he had finished in the top two. Plus, it would have added $2 million to the price tag for his 2034 club option.

As it stands, Anthony is scheduled to make $23 million in 2031, $25 million in 2032, and $29 million in 2033, and his club option the next year is for $30 million. He can still earn anywhere from $500,000 to $2 million per year for every top-10 Most Valuable Player finish from 2026 to 2030, plus an additional $200,000 for each All-Star appearance.

It's hard not to think that Anthony, who put up an impressive .859 OPS and 3.1 WAR in his 71 games, could easily have topped Wilson (.800 OPS, 3.0 WAR in 125 games) had he not sustained an oblique injury on Sept. 2 that cost him virtually the entire final month of the season,

However, no matter how much money he winds up with, Anthony is set up to play a vital role moving forward on some Red Sox teams with the chance to make waves in the AL.

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