The Red Sox have done a few extensions in recent years but it doesn’t seem like there’s anything imminent with infielder Marcelo Mayer. Chris Cotillo of MassLive reports that the club has not approached Mayer to discuss a long-term deal to this point in time.
It may seem obvious to some that the Sox haven’t looked to lock up Mayer. He is still only 23 years old and hasn’t found major league success just yet. He got into 44 big league games last year but hit just .228/.272/.402.
But 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. (Link showing guys with no service time; link showing some service time but less than a year.) 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.
Taking all that into account, extension talks are plausible but it seems the Sox are happy to wait a bit longer in this case. 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.
“[Getting stronger] will just help him manage the workload of a full season and just be able to withstand the demands of a full season, which is, frankly, something that he hasn’t been able to do,” Breslow said of Mayer in November. “And some of those have been just kind of these freak injuries, but others seem to maybe just be the accumulation of workload.”
Despite the the lack of contract talks, the Sox are showing some faith in Mayer, as they seem to be planning on him being the everyday second baseman this year. It had been reported that they preferred him at third but then they acquired Caleb Durbin from the Brewers. Durbin and Mayer have both been playing second and third this spring but Durbin spent most of his time at third base last year.
“Caleb, he’s playing third base today, again,” manager Álex Cora said this week, per Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic. “We’ll probably decide that next week, but I feel very comfortable with him at third base.” Cora stopped short of making any firm declarations but it seems Mayer will end up at the keystone.
If Mayer is able to stay healthy and have a breakout season in 2026, perhaps the Red Sox would be more willing to start extension talks. He has 128 days of service time right now and would be at 1.128 if he earns a full service year in 2026. Players generally get more earning power as they accrue service time and move closer to free agency, but even in that scenario, Mayer would still be five years from the open market and at least one year from arbitration.
Photo courtesy of Jonathan Dyer, Imagn Images
Makes sense. Mayer needs to prove he can be an MLB regular for a whole season. Sort of like maybe Kristian Campbell should have been required to do.
Meow – They tried to extend Marcelo more than a year ago, he wouldn’t listen.
FPG
Let’s see if he can put up decent numbers and stay reasonable healthy for a year. The Sox might be a bit apprehensive in giving out an extension because of the situation with K.Campbell. I’m sure they would like that one back. Let him prove he can be ,at the minimum an average everyday ballplayer, before committing to him financially for 7/8 years. Plenty of time to do so.
Bummed out to see Kyle Teel get hurt playing for Italy. Besides Roman Anthony,he’s the guy that’s going to be a star from all of Sox one time prospects. I do think Mayer will be a good pro, maybe not a super star but a very good player.
cdc – hi!
Yes it sure is looking like the two Italians, Roman and Teel, will have the best careers out of the Fab Four.
Sadly the Red Sox heavily contributed to KC’s struggles with awful mismanagement. They made their Team Friendly Contract Bed, now they have to lie in it.
There were red flags with Kristian Campbell at the end of the 2024 season but obviously the Red Sox brass chose to ignore them. Upon reaching AAA he continued to rake for the first week but more experienced AAA pitchers adjusted quickly to his hitchy swing and diving out over the plate. He finished the season poorly in his last two weeks and even remember him shaking his head after striking out at the end of the season. He also didn’t show well in spring training 2025. It didn’t take long for big league pitchers to figure out bust him inside and after that start where he hammered all the pitches away. The point is the proof was already there if you choose to look at it.
Bruin – Thanks! I didn’t start following him closely until last year, ST & regular season. First thing I noticed was mental makeup is on the weak side, so the head shaking is not surprising. He just looked so despondent and overwhelmed, like he was totally lost. My understanding is last year they tried to overhaul his swing when he began struggling, and with him already lacking confidence that was the worst thing to do along with forcing him to play or learn multiple positions. Remember they stuck him in LF during ST which led to the infamous “what are we doing” quote from Cora.
At this point for his sake I’d like to see him traded, give him another chance with an organization that is better at player development. Bases on what I’ve observed this ST, he hasn’t improved at all.
FPG
I’m hesitant to give up on K.C. just yet. At this point I’m not sure what you would get in return , if anything with that contract. Find him the position that he fits best and leave him there. See if he can find his stroke at Worcester. He is still young enough to bounce back. I think with his contract situation the Sox will try to find his talent. They are financially obligated to. I think he is kind of untradable.
cdc – I’m certain he would have a better chance of bouncing back with a different organization. Not just because the Sox have mishandled him so badly, but where does he fit? OF is his best position, but obviously there’s no room for him there the next several years. If Abreu stays healthy, he will have a great season and the Sox will lock him up longterm. Even if they trade Duran, Roman and Rafaela aren’t going anywhere.
Trading him for pure salary relief is a definite possibility. There are teams that will take a chance because they believe they can fix him.
FPG
To trade him at this point ,the Sox would have to include a prominent prospect to offset the financial aspect. At this juncture id rather not do that. Let’s see if he can rebound, rebuild himself at AAA. Anyways…
Wyler Anreu’s homeruns was tremendous!!!!! Wow.
Possibly marking the start of a great year. A great career. The Sox players have had a great WBC . How about Weissert…,.. Yoshida…
He’s got the black sheep label on him right now. Cora not a fan of his entourage
Sean – Is it that he’s too laid back? It’s puzzling because everything he’s said has been exactly what you want to hear from a player, he doesn’t seem to have any sense of entitlement.
Yea I dunno. Funny guy for Cora to single out. It feels like they are hard-lining him to motivate him like you do with a child. I’ve not heard or seen anything but professionalism from the kid.
I normally ignore FPG BS but there is zero proof that the sox either earnestly tried to extend Mayer beyond casual conversations or that he declined last offseason.
Why would the Sox give out a long term deal that Mayer would consider signing when he’s been hurt every season? He needs to stay on the field and prove himself as otherwise his arb years will not be costly and the team will go year to year.
dewey – They probably offered a similar team friendly deal like they gave KC.
they “probobaly” offered a contract now FPG? no they obvisouly did not outside of a coursary check in and I highly doubt if a serious offer was made that Mayer would have turned it down.
He probably can’t see you, but maybe he can.
I’m indifferent if he can or can’t. he was pretty obessed with a bunch of us that pointing out his nonsense at one time. I ignore the majority of his trolls but the egregious trolls are worth pointing out from time to time.
Sean – Of course other fanbases get overly excited about their players just like some Sox fans do, but have you seen what Tibbs is doing and saying? In 42 PA’s he is batting .324 with a 1.057 OPS, this after raking in the minors last year with the Dodgers.
Last year in AA with the Sox he batted .297 with a .586 OPS, and with the Dodgers AA team he had a .900 OPS.
Worst of all, he had this to say: ““[When I joined the Dodgers, they] were like, ‘Hey, you know, we just want you to be yourself. We want you to do what you need to do to be successful. Like, we believe in you, we believe in what you did in college. We want you to get that back and be able to be successful with how you swing the bat and how you play defense, and like, we don’t want to take that away from you.’ I think for the most part, they just allowed me to be me.”
The way the Red Sox utilize Driveline and their philosophy is not working, they are messing up prospects who are too reluctant to say no. They keep shoving their one-size-fits-all approach to hitting and pitching into the faces of players and those who follow along are suffering from it.
Oddly aggressive towards a guy I’ve really never seen attacking anyone else. But I don’t know the story between you two so I’ll just step aside. Cheers. Go Sox!
I was completely floored when it came to how glib the Sox were about Tibbs as if he wasn’t a first round talent. I actually hope he does well. Just wish he wasn’t on the dodgers
And when it comes to driveline and the pitching lab… I love we are getting the results on paper they want but going after and particular model and selling out for extension is bound to backfire. Think we might start seeing that more and more often with guys we have kicked to the curb. The list is growing already
Not mad at Bello today. Brought some of that WBC sauce with him to Sox camp 👍🏻
Sean – I read somewhere Tibbs is the first ever Top 15 Overall Pick to be traded twice within 18 months of being drafted.
That’s how legends are made
Perhaps the Kristian Campbell extension has given them reason to pause on considering a Marcelo Mayer extension. Lets see what Mayer can do in a full season before trying to lock him up long-term
And yet they signed Roman Anthony to an extension last year after the Campbell one was clearly a “ jump the gun” situation. So they clearly weren’t turned off to the entire notion. All of these decisions are made individually based on the player. There’s not a blanket policy.
Roman showed a lot more than Mayer did
Campbell has not been an injury disaster like Mayer who has to prove he can stay healthy as otherwise he won’t build up a resume for large arb value years.
Rsox – Roman also had over 300 games in the minors before getting called up, while KC had only 137 games.
M. Mayer earned the chance to start the season with Boston in 2025 and should have been their Opening Day 2B. They promoted K. Campbell instead, who really had no place to play. I was stunned to see A. Cora throw him out to 2B when it was clear that even by the end of ST, he couldn’t get his footwork in order… But, he did tear the cover off the ball in April/May – until pitchers exploited his weaknesses at the plate. The FO was giddy about his last year in college and ascension through their system. The deal, at the time, was looked at as a “win” for the Red Sox, thinking they “struck gold”. Who knows? Maybe he continues to develop in AAA and comes back to help the Red Sox win the AL East. I’m rooting for the kid. In the meantime, I think people are going to love M. Mayer, and with C. Durbin at 3B, maybe everyone will forget about A. Bregman?
Mark my words, the Sox will get similar stats from Durbin that they would have got from Bregman….
Cora needs to stop jackin around with Marcelo and play him everyday… stop with the platooning nonsense. Same goes for Abreu… the only way they will determine if he can learn to hit left handed pitching is to give him a legit chance.
Mayer needs to prove he can stay in the field first.
Yeah I don’t think that’s the case with him. Although I do agree they will be a touch more hesitant in the future
Sean – Yep it wouldn’t be the first time they’ve followed another team’s approach, and then over-correct when they get burned. Like how they refused to give more than 2 year contracts to free agent pitchers after the Sale extension fiasco.
I’ve said this a zillion times, if they are trying to follow the Braves model of early extensions then they are doing it wrong because the Braves have always waited until the player has had at least one year of MLB success before giving the extension.
Seems like a no brainer, no?
AA isn’t exactly a genius. Despite those friendly pre-arb extensions, he still can’t afford to fill the gaps to put together a complete, playoff competitive team.
The best of all the pre-arb extensions was Acuna. Although great at times, he has missed 30% of the Braves total games played over his career (310 missed to injury / 1,032 total). He’s torn both ACL’s, meaning he’s one more knee injury from being the next Grady Sizemore and prematurely ending his prime. He’s on an incredibly affordable deal, but has a reputation for seeming lackadaisical at times in his body language and hustle. He also made some controversial tweets about his own manager in the past (Snitker).
That’s the best one.
Strider is a shell of his former self post-UCL surgery. His diminished velocity directly prevents him from reproducing the induced vertical break that once made him an elite strikeout pitcher. He’s a classic example of the Verducci Effect. He also gives predator mustache vibes to anyone outside of The Chopaholics.
Real talk. Solid post.
Acuna has the most team-friendly contract in baseball. The Red Sox and every other team would love to have had all that production for so little money. Nitpicking his flaws does nothing to take away from the great value he has been for the Braves. Not to mention the super-team-friendly Albies extension. Not that he’s been great recently, but it was a steal for Atlanta. They weren’t competitive in 2025 because they were wracked with injuries.
Fair enough.
I always say that every team deals with injuries. The lack of MLB-ready pitching depth and non-existent hitting on their farm is what ultimately led to their down year. They signed all of those early extensions, and they were well worth it early on, culminating in a World Series Championship. That was 5 years ago though and AA has not been able to build-up a well-rounded organization since then, despite the team friendly extensions.
Fried – You can never predict health. Can’t fault AA for Strider, dude had an awesome 2022 season and didn’t have a history of injuries.
But without question the more injuries you have in the past, it makes you more susceptible to future injuries. It’s like that with Acuna and Mayer.
Mayer hasn’t earned an extension yet. They already made a mistake by extending Kristian Campbell too soon.
He’s had a grand total of 229 MLB at-bats and already been labeled a flop. Sheesh… tough crowd.
Normally I’d agree that’s too small of a sample size. BUT…to put it kindly, Campbell was extremely shaky on both sides last year. He was bounced all over on defense and never really settled in. Simply not ready.
@YankeesBleacherCreature
What you are missing and the article does not really touch upon is his work ethic/ego. He has made several overconfident comments in the locker room about he knows he is a great player.
Great players show it on the field, not with their mouth. Many think his ego is just too large for the meager stats he provides, hence no extension.
So, i expect a trade if he can just play mediocre, he is clearly not part of the red sox future or else they would have extended him by now.
What? He’s clearly not part of their future because they haven’t extended a guy who’s barely had a chance to play in the majors? Okay…
Are you sure you’re not thinking of Casas instead of Mayer when it comes to the big clubhouse talk? I never heard that about Mayer, but definitely there were reports of Casas waxing poetic about his greatness. But I think he’s more of a character than a big headed primadonna but not close enough to the action to know for sure.
As of early 2026, speculation exists regarding Red Sox prospect Marcelo Mayer’s attitude and professionalism. Reports suggest potential friction with manager Alex Cora over effort levels, specifically regarding his running, and concerns about his maturity following his high draft status. However, other perspectives view this as typical “tough love” for a young player.
Several Sox outlets have already spoken on this, not sure why you think its just Cases, apparently, Mayer has quite the ego as well.
I also have not discussed an extension with Mayer. Not because I can’t, I just don’t feel like it
Breslow is all about “extension”.
Good one
If they could redo, Campbell never would’ve been offered his extension and might have then been traded already. They should wait and see here. If he has a ROY 2026, then maybe extend him in off season.
breslow sounds a lot like aaron boone
every other word is “just” kind of” “maybe”
talk like you mean it for god’s sake
dasit – Something seems to be going on between player and team. It was reported over a year ago by Alex Speier the Sox wanted to extend Marcelo but he wouldn’t listen. So who is lying? I know it’s not Speier that is. Perhaps that’s why they brought in a boatload of infielders this offseason?
Mayer isn’t going to like an offer based on what he’s done, and likely would take it as an insult. 7/$14 seems about right for a no hit, utility player, maxing at $4mm for the last two seasons. Right now he’s competing with several others for time at 2B. Until he shows that he has earned an everyday job, there’s no reason to talk.
styme – KC hadn’t done anything when he got his extension, he even sucked in ST right before signing.
Kc didnt finish 4 straight pro seasons on the injured list.
“The Sox are showing some faith in Mayer, as they seem to be planning on him being the everyday second baseman this year.”
Lol !!!
Ridiculous. There’s nothing of the sort. Mayer starts the year AAA.., we’ve already talked about this weeks ago. My goodness people.
Who starts at 2B then?
Pat – There’s IKF, Monasterio, Durbin (Eaton plays 3B), and Sogard.
Gary – I’m far from certain, but if forced to choose I’d agree with you. It would pause the service time clock, and if he gets injured again it would be as a minor leaguer.
He’s on the opening 26. I’d bet on that.
Mayer isn’t helping his case hitting only .200 with 6 k’s in 20 AB’s so far. Campbell is doing anything either hitting .194 with 11 k’s in 31 AB’s so far this spring. IKF may start at 2B with Durbin at 3B to open the season
Rsox: that’s an incredibly small sample size to immediatly write him off.
I’m not writing him off but you do have to realize that it is a possibility, especially with other players out performing him to this point
Rsox: the difference between batting .300 and .200 in 20 at bats is two hits. that’s not a fair way to judge someone as “underpeforming” especially realative to other players with larger sample size at bats.
case in point Mayer went 2/2 with 2 walks to bring his BA up to .273 and his OBP up to .406. So did that one game help his case
no what’s ridculous is the degree of certaintity that you have by insisting that Mayer will start the year in AAA.
acell, if the Red Sox can send Campbell to AAA and they paid him nice money on the extension, why is it ridiculous to send Marcelo to AAA and he hasn’t even signed an extension yet?
They’re both hitting .200. They’re both headed to Worcester. They need every day at bats at a lower level to gain some traction, confidence, and a record of success to build upon.
That’s not going to happen as a substitute player sitting at Fenway Park.
Who cares what he’s hitting? It’s spring training! Spring stats mean next to nothing. Especially if we’re talking small-sample batting averages. God, some of you are just clueless around here.
Looking at his spring stats and then determining if he’s ready to be the opening day starting second baseman is “clueless?”
Wow, I wouldn’t think that is the case but OK Hank.
If you think they should just hand him the job because he’s the obvious heir to it then there’s nothing I can say to argue against it. Good comment.
I will say he sure looked good today. I went to the game and he hammered the ball nicely. Nice smooth strokes. Maybe this will jumpstart him?
well he’s hitting .273 with a .406 ib after yeserdays game so by your logic he should be a shoe in for the MLB roster.
what’s ridculous is to speak with such certainity that Mayer is bound for Worcester when Mayer already had a track record of gaining confidence and success at AAA last year.
My confidence is not in the batting average. By my logic, he’s starting the year at AAA because that’s what the Red Sox are going to do.
Not sure why you guys can’t see this.
you brought up the batting average. Again your logic doesn’t track and the reason why people aren’t seeing what you’re seeing is beause as I said your logic doesn’t track even less now with Romy missing significant time.
Mayer had close to 200 PA in AAA last year. He isn’t skipping a level or something like that.
He’s not skipping a level. He’s just not ready.
You can’t give up a third of the season waiting for a guy to ramp up.
Games in April matter.
This season is different. The Red Sox are going for it and there’s no learning on the job here or waiting for a guy to figure it out with the bat or health.
the numbers last year in AAA as well as how’s doing so far in spring training speak to the contrary as to his readiness not to mention the lack of true every alternatives.
Ok acell, fair enough. I appreciate your opinions.
likewise
Gary… If you’re wrong about M. Mayer and he makes the roster, are you going to root for him to fail just so you can say you were right? Asking for a friend…
Statements like that or questions such as you pose here FenwayMonster, have me laughing out loud in a huge way.
That can’t be a real thought, can it?
Seriously?
Who in their right mind would call themselves a Red Sox fan and hope a player fails ?? Any player on any team for that matter?
What type of people do you hang around where this could be a scenario you would imagine? Desiring a player fail? That’s like hoping a guy gets hurt !!
Why would I care if I’m right? This is anonymous. Nobody knows me and I personally don’t know a single soul on this board.
If I was embarrassed about making an incorrect roster prediction, I would just sign up under another username and roll from there.
But I’ve been here 15 years and I’m actually having fun with this particular subject. The number of ruffled feathers has been amusing to say the least.
Why do I have to be right? Who gives a rats behind if I’m right or not?
Certainly not me. I hope the kid hits .400 lol … all I’m doing is saying he needs to put together three months of steady work. That’s not going to happen sitting on the bench at Fenway.
He needs to start at AAA and I don’t understand how you guys don’t see this?
Don’t take this the wrong way, but are you guys blind?
How does Marcelo Mayer start the season in Cincinnati March 26? No one looking at this particular scenario with objectivity thinks that.
Well said. Lol.
Need to sign wyler
He turned down an extension
He hasn’t had full healthy seasons. He needs to show that more than anything.
You don’t offer a contract extension to a known injury prone player like Mayer. He has to stay on the field to eventually earn significant $ during his arb years….goal congruence for player and club.
Of course they haven’t. He needs to prove he can stay healthy.
Mayer simply doesn’t look very good. Smart not to prematurely extend him, ala Campbell.
Is this because they dont believe he was hurt last year?
Got to agree in this instance, he really needs to prove his self. Hurt too much and his bat is not getting it done so far!
The Red Sox are now cosidering him as an outfielder. {Campbell] He is going to get cf reps @ AAA