Red Sox Predicted To Make Decision on $60 Million Signing

On April 2, after just five games into his Major-League career, the Boston Red Sox hastily signed rising star infielder Kristian Campbell to an eight-year, $60 million extension. A cornerstone of their farm system for the past few years, he was one the team’s “big four” prospects prior to the Garrett Crochet trade, which sent Kyle Teel to the White Sox.

Throughout April, this new contract looked like a steal. Campbell was hitting above .300 and mashed four home runs. Now, it seems like the Red Sox got the bad end of the deal.

On the year, Campbell is hitting just .225 with six home runs. His defense has also been abysmal, tallying seven errors and recording -8 outs above average according to Baseball Savant. Because of his underperformance, and with a key player returning from the IL, one MLB insider thinks Campbell is due for a demotion. Sean McAdam of Mass Live had this to write: 

“Wilyer Abreu will be activated from the IL, likely in time for the start of the series in San Francisco Friday and that means someone will have to come off the active roster to make room. The betting here is the odd man out will be Kristian Campbell. 

“The Red Sox could simply swap out outfielders and return Roman Anthony to Worcester. But the Red Sox would like to see more of Anthony, even if he’s unlikely to play every day. Campbell, meanwhile, could use a re-set. He’s looked lost at the plate for more than a month, and more recently, his play at second has been impacted. His range at the position has him rated in the lowest one percentile.”

In this hypothetical scenario, Ceddanne Rafaela would be moved to the infield despite his great defense on the outfield grass. Campbell’s performance is certainly a disappointment for Boston thus far, but as McAdam notes, this doesn’t make Campbell a dud.