Why Roman Anthony's contract shouldn't impact the Brewers' next extension

One week ago, the Boston Red Sox rewarded their top prospect with a massive contract extension. They gave their talented young outfielder, Roman Anthony, an eight-year, $130 million contract after he played just 46 games in the major leagues.

While the Anthony extension exposed just how smart the Milwaukee Brewers' front office was for signing Jackson Chourio before he made his MLB debut, it also has the potential to affect the contract extensions of young players going forward, as players and agents will look to Anthony's nine-figure deal when negotiating their own contracts.

As the Brewers start to explore the possibility of extending some of their young players, particularly Sal Frelick and Brice Turang, it's natural to wonder whether the Anthony contract will impact Milwaukee's ability to reach a long-term agreement with them. However, there's reason to believe that any hypothetical extension Frelick or Turang does reach with the Crew won't be affected by the monster contract that Anthony and the Red Sox just agreed to.

A Sal Frelick extension should more closely resemble Lawerence Butler or Tommy Edman's contract

Sal Frelick's 2025 breakout has been an integral part of the Brewers' success this season. Not only does he offer a difficult at-bat for any opposing pitcher, with his ability to make contact with seemingly any pitch, but the unique blend of on-base skills and speed (and sneaky power for that matter) that Frelick offers makes him a perfect leadoff hitter for manager Pat Murphy. Pair that with his Gold Glove defense in right field, and Frelick is certainly someone that the Brewers would like to keep in Milwaukee long-term.

With Frelick manning a corner outfield position just like Anthony, it's fair to wonder whether or not he will be impacted by Anthony's latest contract extension, but there are some key differences between the two players. For one, Anthony, who turned 21 in May, is four years younger than Frelick. Frelick, who is playing in his second full MLB season, is set to become arbitration-eligible in 2027, whereas Anthony wouldn't have been until the 2029 season. Additionally, despite Frelick having a very impressive season in 2025, Anthony was the top prospect in all of baseball before he was called up. When the Red Sox extended him, they did so with the belief that he will be a perennial All-Star candidate, which is naturally going to raise his price.

A Frelick contract extension should look more like the extension that Lawrence Butler signed with the Athletics or the one Tommy Edman signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Butler's deal was a seven-year, $65.5 million extension that he signed at age 24, whereas Edman's is good for $74 million over the next five years. Edman signed his deal at age 29, meaning Frelick falls in the middle of him and Butler in terms of age.

A six-year, $50-60 million extension for Frelick this offseason would buy out his arbitration years and two years of free agency. Meanwhile, an average annual value (AAV) in the $9-10 million range wouldn't be unbearable for the Brewers, especially if they backload the money so that it conflicts less with Christian Yelich's contract.

Brice Turang is also a candidate for a contract extension, but not one like Anthony's

Brice Turang is another important piece of the Brewers' young core. He's in the midst of his second consecutive quantum leap, adding significant power to his game this year that wasn't present in either of his first two MLB seasons. After winning the NL Platinum Glove in 2024, and continuing to impact the game on the basepaths, Turang is exactly the type of player that the Brewers should want to keep in Milwaukee for the foreseeable future.

Like Frelick, Turang is 25 years old, but he will turn 26 before the 2026 season begins. Turang has four years of team control after this season just like Frelick, but because he has earned Super Two status, his arbitration eligibility begins a season early, with Turang able to earn more than the league minimum starting next season. As such, in an effort to avoid four years of arbitration negotiations with their talented young infielder, the Brewers should be even more incentivized to reach a contract extension with Turang.

However, the precedent is not necessarily set for a Turang contract extension. He certainly won't receive something that resembles Anthony's contract extension with Boston, and the second basemen who have recently been extended, Ketel Marte and Jose Altuve, are both more than five years older than Turang. That said, the Red Sox did just agree to an eight-year contract with another one of their young stars that could impact a potential Turang extension.

Boston extended 22-year-old infielder Kristian Campbell just days after the 2025 season began. After just a couple of games in the majors, Campbell earned an eight-year, $60 million deal, giving him an AAV of $7.5 million.

It's unlikely that Turang would agree to an eight-year contract, as such a deal would have him hitting free agency at an awkward 33 years old. Therefore, it's more likely that the Brewers use the financial component of Campbell's deal as guidance and offer it to Turang with fewer years attached. As such, something similar to what Frelick might ask for, six years, $50-60 million, should also be where the Brewers are looking for a Turang extension.