Red Sox Have Not Discussed Long-Term Deal With Marcelo Mayer

"Teams have been aggressive in signing players to early-career extensions lately. The Sox have also shown a penchant for signing players to extensions generally, regardless of experience, so it's noteworthy that there's no progress here. According to MLBTR's Contract Tracker, extensions for players with less than a year of service time have become more common. From 2006 to 2016, there were five. From 2017 to the present, there have been 21, with 11 since July of 2022."

"The Red Sox have been involved there. Roman Anthony, Kristian Campbell and Ceddanne Rafaela make up three of the data points in that set of 11. Those represent three of the six total extensions Craig Breslow has signed since taking over as chief baseball officer. He also extended Garrett Crochet, Brayan Bello and Aroldis Chapman in deals of varying sizes."

"It could be health related, as Mayer has had some trouble staying on the field. He has five professional seasons under his belt but hasn't topped 91 games played in any of them due to various ailments. Last year, his big league debut was interrupted by a right wrist issue that ultimately required surgery."

The Boston Red Sox have not initiated extension discussions with 23-year-old infielder Marcelo Mayer, despite the organization's recent pattern of signing young players to long-term deals. While Mayer struggled in his 44 major league games last season with a .228 batting average, early-career extensions have become increasingly common across baseball, with 21 such deals signed since 2017 compared to only five from 2006 to 2016. The Red Sox have been particularly active in this trend under chief baseball officer Craig Breslow, extending players like Roman Anthony, Kristian Campbell, and Ceddanne Rafaela. The team's hesitation regarding Mayer may stem from durability concerns, as he has never played more than 91 games in a professional season due to various injuries, including a right wrist issue requiring surgery during his debut.

Read at MLB Trade Rumors