Red Sox sign rookie phenom Roman Anthony to an 8-year, $130 million contact

BOSTON (AP) — The Red Sox signed rookie phenom Roman Anthony to an eight-year, $130 million contract on Wednesday, spending some of the cash they saved by trading Rafael Devers away on a player they hope will be the centerpiece of the next generation of Boston stars.

The 21-year-old outfielder, who has 159 major league at-bats so far, is signed through 2033, with a team option for 2034. The deal was announced with the Red Sox on a seven-game winning streak heading into Wednesday night's game against the Kansas City Royals.

“We’re playing such great baseball. I didn’t want to be a distraction to anyone,” Anthony said in a pregame news conference attended by his parents and sister and teammates along with members of the ballclub's ownership, front office and coaching staff. “But I knew that this is where I wanted to be, and I’m having a blast. And I just wanted to continue that.”

Anthony was hitless in four at-bats on Wednesday, including a 374-foot fly ball that was caught above the short right field wall by Royals outfielder Mike Yastrzemski. He is batting .276 with two homers and 19 RBIs in 47 games since making his debut in June.

The team is 32-16 since his call-up, including a 10-game winning streak heading into the All-Star break and seven straight wins when he signed his deal.

“This is a guy who was the No. 1 prospect in the sport. We’ve seen the impact that he’s had on our major league team in just over 150 at-bats,” Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow said. “And so when we think about the future of this organization, there’s no question that it got brighter today.”

Anthony's nine-figure deal, which includes a $30 million team option for 2034, buys out his five or six years of team control, and at least two seasons of free agency. He could still become a free agent at 30.

“I don’t know what the future holds, but I believe that I will be the best version of myself every single day,” said Anthony, who received a big cheer when he came to the plate in the first inning. “It was a deal that was obviously more than enough for me and for my family and at a place that I want to be in.”

The Red Sox have struggled to hold onto their homegrown stars lately, trading away 2018 AL MVP Mookie Betts when they couldn't sign him and then watching Xander Bogaerts leave as a free agent. The team appeared to break the trend when it signed Rafael Devers to a 10-year, $313 million deal in 2023; instead, it traded him away this season when he refused to change fielding positions.

The roster churn has led to just one postseason appearance in the past six years, as well as a feeling among fans that the team isn't willing to spend what it takes to compete for championships.

“Yes, in the past when we haven’t signed homegrown players, it’s hurt,” team president Sam Kennedy said.

But Anthony now joins pitcher Brayan Bello, outfielder Ceddanne Rafaela and infielder Kristian Campbell as a future core signed to long-term deals. Pitcher Garrett Crochet, who was acquired in a trade, was also signed to an extension that would keep him in Boston until 2031.

“We’re heading in the right direction. The future organization is in great hands,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said after the game, a 7-3 loss that snapped the team’s seven-game winning streak. “If you want to win, year-in and year-out, you need to do that.”

Anthony said it's a special group to be a part of.

“I try not to look too far into the future, but we’re having a lot of fun and playing good baseball right now," he said. "It’s super exciting when we talk about how young we are and the mix that we have of the great veteran guys that we have. So there’s a lot to be excited about.”

Kennedy acknowledged that the unsteady roster has been difficult on fans, who buy their favorite players' jerseys only to watch them leave.

“It’s OK to fall in love with our stars, and recognizing that a lot of these guys will be around for a long time,” Kennedy said.

“We’re not done yet, but it’s headed in the right direction. And signing our homegrown, young, talented guys is a huge part of that,” he said. “That’s been the key piece of having success in our time here is locking up our homegrown talent who want to be here.”

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Boston Red Sox Roman Anthony flies out to right field in the first inning of a baseball game against the Kansas City Royals, Wednesday, Aug. 6, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

Boston Red Sox's Roman Anthony smiles while being interviewed after his winning walkoff single in the 10th inning of a baseball game against the Houston Astros at Fenway Park, Friday, Aug. 1, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Boston Red Sox's Roman Anthony takes the field in the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Houston Astros, Saturday, Aug. 2, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Greg M. Cooper)

Boston Red Sox Roman Anthony watches his hit go foul in the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Kansas City Royals, Wednesday, Aug. 6, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

Boston Red Sox Roman Anthony flies out to right field in the first inning of a baseball game against the Kansas City Royals, Wednesday, Aug. 6, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

Boston Red Sox's Roman Anthony smiles while being interviewed after his winning walkoff single in the 10th inning of a baseball game against the Houston Astros at Fenway Park, Friday, Aug. 1, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Boston Red Sox's Roman Anthony takes the field in the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Houston Astros, Saturday, Aug. 2, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Greg M. Cooper)

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — President Donald Trump on Thursday threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act and deploy troops to quell persistent protests against the federal officers sent to Minneapolis to enforce his administration's massive immigration crackdown.

The president's threat comes a day after a federal immigration officer shot and wounded a Minneapolis man who had attacked the officer with a shovel and broom handle. That shooting further heightened the fear and anger radiating across the Minnesota city since an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent fatally shot a Renee Good in the head.

Trump has repeatedly threatened to invoke the rarely used federal law to deploy the U.S. military or federalize the National Guard for domestic law enforcement, over the objections of state governors.

“If the corrupt politicians of Minnesota don’t obey the law and stop the professional agitators and insurrectionists from attacking the Patriots of I.C.E., who are only trying to do their job, I will institute the INSURRECTION ACT, which many Presidents have done before me, and quickly put an end to the travesty that is taking place in that once great State,” Trump said in social media post.

The Associated Press has reached out to the offices of Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey for comment.

The Department of Homeland Security says it has made more than 2,000 arrests in the state since early December and is vowing to not back down. ICE is a DHS agency.

In Minneapolis, smoke filled the streets Wednesday night near the site of the latest shooting as federal officers wearing gas masks and helmets fired tear gas into a small crowd. Protesters responded by throwing rocks and shooting fireworks.

Police Chief Brian O’Hara said during a news conference that the gathering was an unlawful assembly and “people need to leave.”

Things later quietened down and by early Thursday only a few demonstrators and law enforcement officers remained at the scene.

Demonstrations have become common on the streets of Minneapolis since the ICE agent fatally shot 37-year-old Good on Jan. 7. Agents have yanked people from their cars and homes, and have been confronted by angry bystanders demanding that the officers pack up and leave.

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey described the situation as not “sustainable.”

“This is an impossible situation that our city is presently being put in and at the same time we are trying to find a way forward to keep people safe, to protect our neighbors, to maintain order,” he said.

Frey said the federal force — five times the size of the city’s 600-officer police force — has “invaded” Minneapolis, scaring and angering residents.

In a statement describing the events that led to Wednesday's shooting, Homeland Security said federal law enforcement officers stopped a driver from Venezuela who is in the U.S. illegally. The person drove away and crashed into a parked car before taking off on foot, DHS said.

After officers reached the person, two other people arrived from a nearby apartment and all three started attacking the officer, according to DHS.

“Fearing for his life and safety as he was being ambushed by three individuals, the officer fired a defensive shot to defend his life,” DHS said.

The two people who came out of the apartment are in custody, it said.

O’Hara said the man shot was in the hospital with a non-life-threatening injury.

The shooting took place about 4.5 miles (7.2 kilometers) north of where Good was killed. O’Hara's account of what happened largely echoed that of Homeland Security.

During a speech before the latest shooting, Walz described Minnesota as being in chaos, saying what's happening in the state “defies belief.”

“Let’s be very, very clear, this long ago stopped being a matter of immigration enforcement,” he said. “Instead, it’s a campaign of organized brutality against the people of Minnesota by our own federal government.”

Jonathan Ross, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer who killed Good, suffered internal bleeding to his torso during the encounter, a Homeland Security official told The Associated Press.

The official spoke to AP on condition of anonymity in order to discuss Ross’ medical condition. The official did not provide details about the severity of the injuries, and the agency did not respond to questions about the extent of the bleeding, exactly how he suffered the injury, when it was diagnosed or his medical treatment.

Good was killed after three ICE officers surrounded her SUV on a snowy street a few blocks from her home.

Bystander video shows one officer ordering Good to open the door and grabbing the handle. As the vehicle begins to move forward, Ross, standing in front, raises his weapon and fires at least three shots at close range. He steps back as the SUV advances and turns.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has said Ross was struck by the vehicle and that Good was using her SUV as a weapon — a self-defense claim that has been criticized by Minnesota officials.

Chris Madel, an attorney for Ross, declined to comment.

Good’s family has hired the same law firm that represented George Floyd’s family in a $27 million settlement with Minneapolis. Floyd, who was Black, died after a white police officer pinned his neck to the ground in the street in May 2020.

Madhani reported from Washington, D.C. Associated Press reporters Julie Watson in San Diego; Rebecca Santana in Washington; Ed White in Detroit and Giovanna Dell’Orto in Minneapolis contributed.

A protester yells in front of law enforcement after a shooting on Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Tear gas surrounds federal law enforcement officers as they leave a scene after a shooting on Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Protesters shout at law enforcement officers after a shooting on Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

Law enforcement officers stand amid tear gas at the scene of a reported shooting Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Adam Gray)