The Boston Red Sox signed second baseman Kristina Campbell to an 8 year, $60M contract extension only 49 days into his MLB career.
The two sides had been working on a long term extension for the past several weeks, eventually coming to terms on a contract which will keep Campbell tied to the organization through the 2034 campaign. The contract runs from 2025-2032 and will reportedly include club options for ’33 and ’34.
Campbell hit .330/.439/.558 with 20 home runs and 77 RBIs while jumping from High-A to Triple-A last season, earning minor league player of the year honours in the process. The signing comes on the heels of the club inking starting pitcher Garrett Crochet to a multi-year pact, and continues a trend of Boston trying to lock up young talent early into their careers.
Outfielder Ceddanne Rafaela signed an 8 year deal in April of 2024, and with Roman Anthony and Marcelo Mayer looking to carve out everyday roles with the club in the near future as well, that figures to be a trend the front office will look to carry forward. Ironically, it was the much maligned Xander Bogaerts saga which ultimately netted Boston the pick that landed them Campbell.
The Red Sox were awarded a compensatory pick in the 4th round of the 2023 Major League Baseball draft as a result of Bogaerts joining the Padres. The front office then used that pick to select Campbell out of Georgia Tech.
Boston has been looking for a franchise 2nd baseman ever since Dustin Pedroia retired following the 2017 season. Since then, the Red Sox have seen a platoon of players rotate through the hole in their lineup with six different starters across 7 years.
Thus far Campbell has recorded six hits, 4 runs and 2 RBIs, including his first home run last Saturday against the Rangers, in his first 5 games. His first MLB homer was a 431-foot shot that left his bat at 112.2 mph.
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