It may not fit the New York Yankees’ traditional playbook to hand out long-term extensions before a player even hits arbitration, but Anthony Volpe’s breakout start to the 2025 season is forcing a reconsideration. Pete Caldera of NorthJersey.com argues that if there’s ever been a candidate to buck that trend, it’s the 23-year-old shortstop.
Anthony Volpe—who turns 24 later this month—has exploded out of the gate with four home runs in the Yankees’ first five games, tying Aaron Judge for the team lead and rewriting early franchise records in the process. He became the first shortstop in Yankees history to homer four times within the first five contests of a season, flashing an offensive ceiling that, as Caldera puts it, is “still being shaped.”
And while his stat line is generating headlines, the real conversation is about something much bigger: whether the Yankees should reward Anthony Volpe now, rather than waiting for his free-agent clock to start ticking.
Anthony Volpe’s offensive surge signals evolution
Anthony Volpe’s rookie year in 2023 was serviceable but uneven. He showed flashes of power but struggled with consistency, and it wasn’t until the postseason—particularly his Game 4 grand slam in the World Series—that his potential truly came into focus. According to manager Aaron Boone, that moment was his “offensive coming out party.”
Now in 2025, Anthony Volpe looks like a completely different hitter. He’s not just making contact—he’s driving balls to all fields with purpose. His latest home run, a ninth-inning shot off Arizona closer AJ Puk, didn’t rescue the game, but it served as a loud reminder of his growing ability to produce in high-leverage spots.
The key to his leap? It might be technological. Anthony Volpe is one of the first MLB players to use the “torpedo” bat, a design developed by former Yankees analyst and MIT physicist Aaron Leanhardt. By redistributing weight closer to the label, the bat enhances the sweet spot without violating league rules. While all of Anthony Volpe’s hits so far have been home runs, Boone isn’t worried. “I can think of three balls he’s hit on the screws for outs,” he said. “It’s just early in the season. You square them up, you might as well drive them out.”
Anthony Volpe enters April leading the Yankees in multiple offensive categories, including RBIs and OPS (1.073). That’s a dramatic turnaround from 2024, when his fourth homer didn’t come until Game 36.
MLB’s shift toward early extensions
Across baseball, front offices are locking up young stars earlier than ever. Just this week, the Padres inked 22-year-old Jackson Merrill to a nine-year, $135 million deal that could balloon to $204 million with escalators. The Red Sox handed second baseman Kristian Campbell—who has just five big league games under his belt—an eight-year deal potentially worth $100 million. Boston also committed six years and $170 million to left-hander Garrett Crochet, who’s only 25.
These aggressive moves mirror recent deals for Julio Rodriguez, Bobby Witt Jr., and Corbin Carroll—the latter a former teammate of Anthony Volpe’s on the 2018 USA National Team. The strategy is clear: bet early on youth, lock in value, and avoid free-agent inflation.
Anthony Volpe, still earning just $880,000 and under team control through 2028, fits the profile of the next logical candidate. If the Yankees don’t act soon, his price will only go up. Arbitration kicks in starting in 2026, and if he continues on this trajectory, he could command between $4 million and $9 million annually in those years alone. Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Devin Williams are recent examples, earning $5.85 million and $8.6 million respectively in their first arbitration years.
A hypothetical eight-year, $100 million extension—similar to Bobby Witt Jr.’s—would buy out Anthony Volpe’s arbitration years and lock in two or three free-agent seasons. Such a deal would offer the Yankees cost certainty and Anthony Volpe long-term security. It could even be structured with deferred money or performance-based escalators to preserve short-term payroll flexibility.
Importantly, Anthony Volpe is more than a bat. He’s the reigning Gold Glove winner at shortstop and has already played in 313 of a possible 329 regular-season games—a model of durability. His standout defensive play against Milwaukee this week, a diving stop and bullet throw across the diamond, reaffirmed his elite range and arm strength.
“Anthony Volpe looks like he belongs,” Boone said earlier this week. “He’s not chasing results. He’s building something that can last.”
Anthony Volpe’s maturity continues to impress both teammates and coaches. He’s brushed off talk of a possible extension, telling NorthJersey.com, “If anything like that happens, we’ll cross that bridge when it comes. I’m just doing what I can to be the type of player this organization expects every day.”
There’s a personal angle too. Anthony Volpe is a New Jersey native who grew up a Yankees fan, making his place in pinstripes feel even more meaningful. He represents more than just production—he’s a homegrown face of the franchise, someone who can be marketed not only for his skills but also for what he symbolizes.
Yankees’ reasons for caution
Still, the Yankees know how risky long-term deals can be. Luis Severino’s four-year, $40 million extension in 2019 resulted in only 40 starts over its duration due to injury. Aaron Hicks’ seven-year, $70 million deal from the same year ended in his release, though the club is still paying him in 2025.
And with a payroll north of $300 million—the highest in the American League—there’s little financial pressure to lock anyone up early. Yankees ownership has historically preferred to pay for proven performance in free agency rather than take on risk with early commitments.
But Caldera argues that Anthony Volpe is a different kind of case. He’s not a pitcher with a fragile arm or a free-agent acquisition trying to adjust to the Bronx. He’s a steady, reliable, homegrown shortstop who has already earned the trust of the clubhouse and the coaching staff.
With the Yankees launching a historic offensive start—19 home runs through five games, an MLB record—Anthony Volpe’s role is becoming harder to ignore. His power surge and defensive steadiness have made him a key figure in the team’s early success.
Whether or not the front office is ready to act, the conversation has started. Caldera isn’t insisting the Yankees must extend Anthony Volpe right now, but he sees compelling reasons to do so. If the organization wants to avoid the perils of arbitration and ensure one of its foundational pieces remains in the Bronx, now may be the time to make a move.
And if that bridge is crossed, Caldera suggests that catcher Austin Wells—another young player rapidly gaining the staff’s trust—could be next in line.
For now, the Yankees have a rising star on their hands. The only question is whether they’ll act like it.
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