'Sky's the limit': Red Sox sign elite prospect Campbell to 8-year deal

BALTIMORE -- Kristian Campbell’s career has been defined by “fast.”

Drafted in 2023 after just one year of game action at Georgia Tech (he redshirted his true freshman year in 2022), Campbell then ascended through the Red Sox organization before making his first Opening Day roster this season. And let’s not forget his bat speed, which Boston made an effort to work on with Campbell and now ranks in the 85th percentile of big leaguers.

So it’s no surprise that the Red Sox were fast to lock down their highly touted prospect to a long-term deal, the second big extension the club has agreed to in the past two days.

After signing Garrett Crochet to a six-year, $170 million deal on Tuesday, the Red Sox announced an eight-year deal with the rookie Campbell on Wednesday afternoon, prior to their 3-0 win against the Orioles at Camden Yards. The deal, a source told MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand, guarantees Campbell $60 million, with a contract that runs from 2025-32 and includes club options for '33 and '34.

Campbell’s deal also includes a $2 million signing bonus, with club options of $19 million in 2033 ($4 million buyout) and $21 million in '34, a source told Feinsand. The remainder of the contract breaks down as follows: $1 million in '25, $2 million in '26, $3 million in '27, $4 million in '28, $6 million in '29, $9 million in '30, $13 million in '31 and $16 million in '32.

“Happy for everything that has happened,” manager Alex Cora said pregame. “I think as an organization, obviously we're in a good spot. When you start getting deals like that, it means a lot, right? Not only for the players, but I think for the fan base. And to secure those two guys here, it means a lot.”

The 22-year-old Campbell’s rise from fourth-round pick in the 2023 Draft to starting at second base for the Red Sox on Opening Day this year has been nothing short of meteoric. Ranked as MLB Pipeline’s No. 6 overall prospect, Campbell has wasted no time validating his hype.

After spending less than a week in the Majors, Campbell has signed one of the earliest contract extensions in MLB history, akin to the eight-year, $50 million deal that his teammate Ceddanne Rafaela signed last April with just 49 days of service time.

“Definitely is crazy,” Campbell said. “It's fast, like you said, but it's a good thing. I mean, my family is super excited. I'm super excited to be here. ... They developed me. I mean, they turned it into what it is, and they put their trust in me and developed me.”

Campbell recorded six hits in his first four games, including his first home run on Saturday against the Rangers, a Statcast-projected 431-foot shot that left his bat at 112.2 mph.

After signing the extension, Campbell proceeded to rocket a first-pitch double to right field in his first at-bat on Wednesday. He doubled again in the fifth inning before racing home on Ceddanne Rafaela's single. Campbell finished the night 2-for-4, giving him a cool .400 average in just six games (he also has a 1.250 OPS).

The youngster has already flashed impressive pop and bat speed for a player who brings plenty of other tools to the table -- so much so that his teammates have taken plenty of notice. After all, there’s a reason Campbell went from High-A Greenville to Triple-A Worcester over the course of last season.

“Obviously, sky's the limit,” said Alex Bregman, who has only known Campbell since the start of camp -- though they did have adjacent lockers in Spring Training. “He does so many things really well on the baseball field. He's only going to get better. Obviously, he's young, but he has a very advanced knowledge of the strike zone, swings at good pitches to hit. He's got obviously incredible metrics and stuff, bat speed wise, and hits the ball really hard. And he's continuing to get better, ever since the first day that I’ve seen him.”

But of course, that’s not the only thing that Campbell’s teammates and coaches have gleaned about the youngster. He’s also a fast learner.

“Fom talking to a lot of people around the organization, it's been that way since he's gotten into the organization,” Bregman said. “He just continues to improve.”

Campbell credits his coaches and teammates from up and down the Red Sox organization, from Greenville to the Major League staff and beyond. Boston has dedicated its resources to its farm system, including investing time and energy -- and now money -- in Campbell.

“It means a lot,” Campbell said. “I mean, they developed me from Day 1. As soon as I got drafted, they've been working with me every day. I've learned something new every day -- they've helped me become the player I am today. So it means a lot to me that I'm with the Red Sox for a long time.”

Keeping players like Crochet and Campbell around for the foreseeable future puts Boston in an optimal position to build a sustainable winner. With established big leaguers like Rafael Devers, Bregman, Jarren Duran and Tanner Houck in the fold -- and the looming promotions of top prospects Roman Anthony (No. 2 overall via Pipeline) and Marcelo Mayer (No. 11) -- good things are on the horizon for the Red Sox.

“To have the same guys in the room, understanding that this is still a business and there's going to be trades and people are going to leave, you know, but to have the core is important,” Cora said. “And I think we’re headed that way.”