Campbell leaps at 'life-changing opportunity' with 8-year extension

BOSTON – Another day, another press conference at Fenway Park.

This was a repetitive exercise that the Red Sox were pleased to take part in.

On Friday morning, it was ace lefty Garrett Crochet discussing his six-year, $175 million extension. Prior to Saturday’s game against the Cardinals, it was Kristian Campbell’s turn to elaborate on an eight-year, $60 million extension he agreed to less than a week into his MLB career.

These are good times for the Red Sox, who have accomplished veterans and young players, setting the organization up for sustained success.

“Twenty-six hours ago, we were sitting in this room announcing the Garrett Crochet extension,” said Red Sox president/CEO Sam Kennedy. “So it’s great to be back. We’d be happy to do this every day as long as people want to keep extending.”

Campbell has made an early impression on the Red Sox on and off the field.

Campbell innocently asked manager Alex Cora just prior to the season whom his roommate would be on the road.

After playfully stringing along the 22-year-old for a couple of days, Cora told Campbell that Major League players get their own hotel rooms on the road.

When the club played a couple of exhibition games in Monterrey, Mexico, Campbell expressed surprise to see two beat reporters in the clubhouse because he knew that in the Minors, writers would hardly ever follow the team.

“The word to describe your son around camp, from where I sit anyway, as someone who's not in the clubhouse each and every day, is humility, and that's probably life's greatest achievement,” Kennedy said as he looked at Campbell’s parents at Saturday’s press conference.

That same humility led Campbell to agree to a contract he might have been able to top in total value if he went year to year until becoming a free agent.

“I was educated throughout this whole process, and it was just a life-changing opportunity for me and my family, and you can’t pass on that,” said Campbell.

Who can argue with that logic?

“Like he said, it’s life-changing money,” said Cora. “You’re not in their shoes. I’m not in their shoes. We know their background, but obviously [the player] knows more and the reasons they're doing this. Some people agree with it; others don't. But in the end, that is what makes you happy, what makes your family happy. And I think his family and his future, they’re in a good spot.”

Red-shirted his freshman year at Georgia Tech in 2022 and drafted in the fourth round by the Red Sox a year later, Campbell was not initially projected as a top prospect. In fact, he didn’t even make MLB Pipeline’s Top 30 Red Sox list prior to Spring Training of ‘24.

But Campbell never stopped working once he reached professional baseball. He turned himself into a top prospect in a breakout 2024 season split among High-A Greenville, Double-A Portland and Triple-A Worcester.

“They developed me from day one as soon as I got drafted and made me who I am today,” Campbell said. “So it's a lot of hard work, a lot of commitment from both sides, and they did a very good job. It’s definitely been fast, but they've slowed it down for me a whole lot.”

Though he will soon graduate from prospect rankings, Campbell is currently Pipeline’s No. 6 prospect and No. 2 on the Red Sox behind Roman Anthony.

“Kristian was not drafted in the first round. He wasn't a top prospect upon entering the organization. What he was was a good player who made himself a great player because of his work ethic and diligence and open-mindedness and attitude,” said Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow. “So in many ways, he is a prime example of what's possible when great scouting meets great development around a player who prioritizes maximizing his potential over everything else.”

Campbell won the starting second base job and a roster spot during a Spring Training in which he absorbed every piece of instruction like a sponge.

“It’s been great,” said Cora. “I think he did an outstanding job in the press conference, keeping it simple. And that's who he is, very humble, very honest, just eager to keep learning. That's the most important thing.”