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Much of the baseball world lauded Roman Anthony’s eight-year, $130 million extension with the Red Sox as a win for both sides, but former MLB general manager Jim Bowden isn’t buying it.
“I cannot believe Roman Anthony left that much money on the table,” Bowden, who was GM of the Reds and Nationals for a combined 16 years, said on Wednesday’s “Foul Territory” podcast.
“I’m actually in a state of shock. I don’t understand how you can sit there and watch Ronald Acuña Jr. and watch Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and see the difference between the two, right? I mean, right now in the bank, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is guaranteed $570.8 million 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.”
"I don't understand how you can sit there and watch Ronald Acuña Jr. and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and not see the difference."@JimBowdenGM says he's in a state of shock about the amount of money Roman Anthony left on the table. pic.twitter.com/HqkCtPyD2B
— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) August 6, 2025Anthony, 21, has been terrific for Boston since he arrived in the big leagues 46 games ago, hitting .283 with a 132 OPS+.
The contract, which was finalized Wednesday, could reach up to $230 million with incentives, and if Anthony continues on the trajectory he’s on now, he’ll be worth much more than that.
Nonetheless, the outfielder opted for financial security, knowing he’ll hit the open market again before he turns 30 with a chance to sign another long-term deal.
“I understand it’s really hard to turn down $130 million. I also understand that he’ll be a free agent again at age 29, and he’ll have a chance to get that $700- $800 million deal by then,” Bowden, who was GM of the Reds from 1992-2003 and of the Nationals from 2004-2009, said.
“I get the thinking behind it, but not when there’s that much money on the table. The last two years of this deal alone, he left at least $100 million on the table. $100 million, which is almost exactly what he’s signing for. So you know, kudos to Craig Breslow and John Henry and Theo Epstein and Tom Werner and everyone else who was able to do this, because it’s going to help you down the road.”
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