NOVEMBER 7: Rizzo has officially exercised his opt-out clause, tweets Jon Morosi of MLB.com.
NOVEMBER 4: Aaron Judge will understandably dominate most Yankee-centric headlines for the foreseeable future, but he’s not the only pinstriped slugger who’ll have the opportunity to field interest from other clubs this offseason. First baseman Anthony Rizzo’s two-year, $32MM contract with the Yankees contained even salaries of $16MM per year and allows the longtime Cubs star to decline a 2023 player option and return to the open market if he chooses. The Athletic’s Jim Bowden writes that Rizzo is planning to do just that, which isn’t a huge surprise given the season that Rizzo put together in the Bronx.
Rizzo, 33, did post a low batting average but piled up walks and extra-base hits en route to a .224/.338/.480 batting line through 548 trips to the plate in 2022. He slugged 32 home runs, knocked 21 doubles and even chipped in a triple and six stolen bases. His 18.4% strikeout rate was his highest since 2014 but was still well shy of the 22.4% league average. Similarly, his 10.6% walk rate was a good bit higher than the league-average mark of 8.2%. All in all, wRC+ (which adjusts for his home park and league-wide offensive environment) pegged Rizzo’s bat at 32% better than an average hitter.
On the defensive side of the coin, Rizzo’s once-sterling defensive grades have taken a tumble, but not to the point where he ought to be considered a liability. He checked in with negative marks in Defensive Runs Saved (-3) and Outs Above Average (-2) but did so over the course of more than 1000 innings. Rizzo has battled back injuries the past couple seasons, which could help to explain some of the downturn with the glove. He received an epidural injection this summer and later began experiencing migraines, which cost him a couple weeks of action. Rizzo went 3-for-6 with a homer in his return contest following that IL stint.
Rizzo played in 11 fewer games in 2022 than in 2021, but at least with regard to his offensive performance, his 2022 season was better across the board. He had slightly more strikeouts but showed substantially more power (.256 ISO to .192), hitting more home runs in fewer plate appearances (32 vs. 22) and walking more often (10.6% vs. 9%). Overall, it was his best offensive showing since 2019. Though he will be another year older in 2023, the incoming ban on defensive shifts should benefit him. As a left-handed hitter without much speed, some of his grounders that were easy outs in 2022 could turn into singles going forward.
Given that this year’s production rather handily outpaced his 2021 output, there’s little reason to think Rizzo shouldn’t be able to expect at least the same type of two-year, $32MM pact he signed with the Yankees last offseason. The one scenario that might impact his earning power would be if he were to opt out and be saddled with a qualifying offer, but the $19.65MM value of this year’s QO represents a noticeable bump from the $16MM he’s scheduled to earn in 2023. Rizzo would be wise to decline the player option if only to push the Yankees to make that QO and put himself in a position to secure that raise. If they don’t make the QO, then another two- or even three-year deal could well be present for the slugger in free agency.
Bowden suggests that Rizzo would like to return to the Bronx on a longer deal. If that interest is reciprocated by the club, perhaps they could work something out even if the QO is involved. Such a scenario played out a few years ago when the White Sox gave a QO to Jose Abreu, who accepted it, but then they agreed to a three-year deal about a week later.
The Yankees have a good deal of uncertainty with their infield picture for next year, with not many players locked in. Josh Donaldson had a rough year at the plate and is about to turn 37, making it possible the Yanks look to move on from the last year of his contract. Gleyber Torres was decent at second but should see his contract rise to the $10MM range via arbitration. He’s still worth an investment like that but the club could also look to trade him and devote those resources to other parts of the roster. DJ LeMahieu should factor in here somewhere but he finished 2022 on the IL and will turn 35 next year. He’s probably best suited to a utility role as opposed to an everyday gig. Shortstop is a big mystery with Isiah Kiner-Falefa having a generally solid season with the glove but a few errors in the postseason cost him some playing time. There are youngsters available to take his job in Oswald Peraza, Oswaldo Cabrera and Anthony Volpe but none of those guys have proven themselves locks to be MLB-capable just yet.
If Rizzo does indeed trigger his opt-out, it would create one more issue for the Yankees to deal with on the dirt. If they are able to give him a contract that entices him to stay, it would be one step towards stabilizing things. If the parties can’t find common ground, the alternatives available to the Yankees on the free agent market include Abreu, Josh Bell and Trey Mancini, among others.
I would too, who would want to play in front of that trash fan base who boo their own players.
Oh boy, here we go
Someone who needs a paycheck
clown out here acting like the Yankees are the only team that pays players lmao wake up son, its 2022.
The other clown is acting like the Yankee fans are the only fan base to ever boo their players
From what I’ve seen? They are, at least in MLB.
No, goastros, they’re not:
larrybrownsports.com/baseball/mariners-boos-home-c…
mlb.com/news/francisco-lindor-reacts-to-boos-from-…
mlb.com/athletics/news/as-troubled-by-boos-of-john…
mlb.com/news/bryce-harper-booed-at-home
thescore.com/mlb/news/1750932
I guess I stand corrected.
“Life is for learning” – Joni Mitchell
Yeah, I’m sure he would rather play for some loser team with a fan base who could care less about the product on the field. That’d be great for baseball!
I mean every fan in baseball cares about the product on the field, otherwise why would they be a fan???
No fan wants to lose smart one.
lmao clown comment. every fan base cares about its product, they don’t boo because they have this thing called class (except both NY teams, Philly and Boston are an exception). Yankees haven’t won in what, 13 years? Going to be a really long time before they win again, that’s just a fact.
Could go to Tampa, great fan base…..has a very good team and still no one shows up…. play in an empty warehouse.
@pinstripes17
COULDN’T care less.
Your a sock sucker
**You’re
Your a loser
*You’re
Who really cares?
It’s called: What have you done for me lately?
When you command 500m for the next decade and bat .179 in the playoffs and do nothing to help your team win besides hitting meaningless home runs you deserve to be booed
Unfortunately, I cannot disagree with you.
I thoroughly disagree. Without Judge, the Yankees would’ve been challenging Boston for fifth place. The only arguably legitimate excuse for booing your own players is if they’re dogging it on the field, and Judge NEVER did that. Despite the hazard to his huge frame, do you remember him laying out to make a spectacular catch in the playoffs?
Yankee fans who booed him are clueless d-bags.
But let’s be real: they were a tiny minority of the fans. You could hardly hear them.
Yes, Rocker, because you’re obviously the epitome of class…..
dumb comment
Literally every fan base boos it’s own players. What a dumb comment
Never before in history has a fan base booed a guy who hit 62 home runs.
Lol, what a dumb argument. He literally just broke the AL homer record. Remind me how many players have hit 62. Not a large sample size. Completely absurdist argument. But yea, keep going on thinking you’ve proven something. All fan bases boo their own players. Especially when they fall flat in the playoffs.
If you say your team’s fans have never booed one of their own players, either you’re ignorant or you’re a liar.
“Not only was Asuna booed while walking up to the home plate for his first at-bat, but he was booed two more times after striking out twice against the Houston Astros. The poor performance has been a large frustration from the fans towards Ozuna prior to the arrest.”
baseballspotlight.com/braves-ozuna-booed-by-home-f…
I watched every playoff game this year. I don’t recall hearing any boos for Jose Altuve at home even though he started 1 for 30 I believe in the playoffs. Yankees fans boos could be clearly heard on television.
The original non point, that no player wants to play for the Yankees cuz fans boo is theater of the absurd. It simply can’t be justified.
Tyler Collins took it in Detroit.
We could make a team by team list.
Anthony Rizzo is looking for a longer term.
I would never play for the Yankees… I’m not cutting my hair and shaving my beard to get booed after I hit 62 home runs in a season
Pay me $35 million a year and I’ll shave every hair on my body and people can sit outside my house and boo me.
Yeah but if you had a choice would you?
More than just the Yankees are going to offer Judge huge money
“Yankee fans boo because they want to cheer.” – Derek Jeter
Come to Milwaukee.
Rizzo can’t lose by opting out. Yanks are pretty much in a bind and will have to at least offer him the QO. His back which obviously acts up from time to time will hurt his chances for a multiple year contract with a higher AAV than $18M.
Backs don’t get better with age or time….as much as I like Rizzo, projecting how he ages will influence his suitors and contract offers.
Abreu is better however he’s not a lefty.
Not a Yankees fan but….seems like a dumb decision to leave a franchise that always is in the mix and a stadium that is built for your declining abilities. As far as fans booing…you can’t have it both ways, NYY fans will do anything for players that throw everything on the line trying to win. This isn’t Wrigley Field where their ok with trying when they watch after looking up from their cell phones.
By your logic he should come to the cardinals then. Where he’ll get all the perks of the Yankees but without the boos. Unfortunately yea the stadium is making him an ideal person to stay out.
Or the Rangers
Plus someone named Goldschmidt makes that not happen.
Any chance a Cardinals fan gets to giving themselves a standing ovation, they’re jumping on it
You don’t know what you’re talking about boxer. Cubs fans expectations have greatly increased since the WS in 2016. There are a lot of us that demand a winner and won’t attend games until they end this rebuild fiasco and start spending again.
Kind of a losing mentality, imo. Only going to games when they have the highest chance of winning defeats the experience of going thru thick and thin. And cutting off the Cubs revenue flow is not going to increase their spending.
FWIW, I have this issue with all small-attendance teams who whine about their teams not spending. They think they can simply watch the games when the team gets into the WS once every ten years or so.
The Cubs are not a small attendance team and I think shaking your head over billionaires not spending is not whining.
I think shaking your head over billionaires not spending is not whining.
===============================
Is he not spending his money or the team money?
If you have 3M in attendance, and a $75M in payroll, I agree with you.
If you have 1.4M in attendance, and you want the owner to spend his own personal savings, then you’re out of luck.
The Ricketts family have absolutely been spending on the team regardless of what fans think. Fans apparently think the Cubs should be throwing money around ignorantly like the Mets, shattering the luxury tax year and year out.
Let’s start with a couple things, the Ricketts family completely financed the Wrigley renovations, nearly a billion dollars. Yes it has financial benefits but it was also to improve the fan experience as well as the player experience.
The Ricketts family also bought up a lot of properties surrounding Wrigley, again some for profit but also the park around Wrigley was designed to improve the fan and family experience.
Not only did the Ricketts family finance the renovations 100%, they also pay the city of Chicago for the right to do so…
The Cubs continue to operate a high payroll, some to do with bad contract decisions (heyward) but also shelled out big money deals for Stroman and Suzuki last season while, unfortunately, wasting money they should have invested in better players (in my opinion).
This season will be interesting for Cub fans, Steele emerging as an incredibly solid rotation piece, Thompson and Wesneski as well. Stroman as a solid middle of the rotation starter and some nice complementary plus pieces on offense (Suzuki, Hoerner, Happ). The Cubs should be able to spend themselves into contention and stay under the luxury tax as long as they do the infamous “smart spending”. They have roughly 75 million to spend, that should be enough for a shortstop, Abreu or Martinez, a short term solution at center and possibly a guy like Clevinger. The 40 man crunch should force some trades as well.
2022 Cubs still ranked 11th in attendance, although they had no intention of contending.
With no more shift next season, that may benefit Rizzo’s batting efficiency.
Three years at the same AAV should get him back in pinstripes. Get on it Cashman.
Sure, that ought to do it Joe. But 3 years for a 33 year-old with back issues may not be what the Yanks want.
The back is a concern but if they manage it right, he should be ok. Unfortunately there are no FA first baseman as good available and the Yankees don’t have anyone down on the farm ready to take over. They definitely don’t need to trade away assets for a first baseman. Rizzo is the best option and he should be helped by the shift limiting next year.
Yeah, I would do it. I’m just saying I don’t know that Cashman will do it, because of the risk. Tack on the one extra year? Sure. But a 3-yr deal seems improbable. But someone will pay it most likely.
No way. That bad back is a career-changer. Bad risk moving forward.
I don’t blame some of these guys who are opting out of these lucrative one year options, because they’re both at that age where they may drop off any year now and be on the downslope of their productive years, yet they can so clearly secure a 2-3 year deal on the open market for a similar AAV right now, whereas they may not be able to next off season.
The fallacy that a guy will be worth 2-3 years this year but might not get 2 years next year is annoying, but I get how precious that year difference in age can be in the eyes of analytics departments and teams looking to effectively allocate budgets and roster space.
I think Rizzo can secure 2 years/$35M or 3 years/$45M and I am guessing he will be seeking around 3 years/$54M to $60M- similar to what he could’ve gotten last year, but it stretches his income out a bit more.
If the Yankees re-sign Rizzo to 2 years/$36M or something like that, I’d be okay with that- there’s no heir apparent waiting in the wings and he’s their best defensive option, a power bat for the short porch, etc.
He’s roughly a 2.5 WAR player at this point, with an over-under of about .3 WAR, so he should actually be worth around $13.2M per season, but I get he has his star power, veteran presence, etc. and some of his clutch moments add another $3M-$6M to his value- hence a roughly $17.5M-$20M valuation for his services.
I hope he gets what he wants. The Cubs got a steep discount on that extension he signed with them way back when and he clearly wants to make up for lost opportunities, financially speaking, and I say more power to him.
“I think Rizzo can secure 2 years/$35M or 3 years/$45M and I am guessing he will be seeking around 3 years/$54M to $60M…”
Like Andrew McCutchen with the Phillies and Brewers. Overpaid so they had to play him. Would have been better off with a lifetime back-up making 1/4 the money.
The Cubs getting a “steep discount” is 100% a fallacy.
Go compare Rizzo’s salary to Goldschmidt’s while Goldy was going through the arbitration process…. It was pretty much spot on with Goldschmidt making a little more, understandably so because he was the better player.
The only “discount” years would have been the free agent buy out years, also known as the years Rizzo sucked for the Cubs.
Let him walk. Average was terrible. Move DJ there
Not a bad take though DJ doesn’t hit like a 1B. But he’s already on the hook for an affordable $15M/yr, right?
Not a bad take? Using batting average as your reason… Come on, this ain”t the 1990’s.
Yes, using batting average as a reason is valid. For what he’s being paid, and opting out to demand more, more should be demanded from him! Barely above the Mendoza line certainly isn’t what he should be producing at the wage he was making. Without the short porch in NY, the power will diminish, so hitting for average could be important.
Using batting average alone is not valid. It shows a complete lack of baseball understanding.
Ignoring batting average from a 33 year old with back problems who hit .224 is completely nuts. Trying to claim it’s because you don’t make decisions based on batting average alone is funny.
No one who is a fan of a team or even follows baseball makes decisions based on a single stat but the fact that the guy hit .224 says something pretty significant about his ability to make contact.
Can’t base a player on that one stat. What about OBP, homers? And contact? Why not look at strike outs. I mean, theres no argument here. Theres what every expert says and then theres random internet people remain intentionally ignorant of.
@Emac22 Rizzo’s OBP along with his BA have a strong chance of improving in 2023. Of 366 plate appearances that he put the ball in play, 305 of them he hit to the right and the middle. Only 61 to the opposite field. With the shift ban, good chance he gets a few more dribblers through the IF and bloops landing in the OF.
It’s not 2015 either…. Teams have realized that putting the ball in play and having high batting averages is more important than just on base and slugging.
Teams have always known that putting the ball in play matters. Yet still, they go for players with high K rates if they have an overall good OPS. You’re not schooling anyone on this. People who rely solely on BA are being ignorant. Thats the point here. Batting average has nothing to do with any of this. Even in terms of contact, you look at K rate, not batting average. Don’t join the losing side of the argument. Its just crazy that folks still look at BA and ignore OPS.
Nor a third baseman. It’s funny to me when people say trade Donaldson/let Rizzo leave and put DJ there. The ’22 MLB average slash line was .243/.313/.395
DJ can’t stay healthy and his bat is a shell of what it once was, pass.
Quite so, agreed pinstripes.
DJ signing #2 was another brilliant signing by Cashman. I mean, DJ or Realmuto? But, Cashman didn’t want to waste the money on Realmuto. Fine job, Cash, fine job. Extension for you, sir!
“Average was terrible.” OPS+ was 131 and wRC+ was 132. Those two metrics correlate with run production better than batting average.
I think you’re talking to the baseball version of a flat earther
Obviously 2022 was subpar, but based on his history I wouldn’t mind seeing the Orioles take a shot at him. He’d give them some lefty pop, a veteran presence and could split time at 1B/DH with Mountcastle. Plus he knows Hyde from their time with the Cubs. Could be a nice addition for the O’s.
Like the Hyde angle, interesting. That said; pretty sure GMs, including Elias, will be hesitant to pursue him because of the 33 years old with a back issue issue. If I were him, stay in the Bronx and be thankful for the 16 mil.
The back concern makes sense, for sure. He’s definitely taking a risk by opting out. I’d be surprised to see him get more than $16 million.
very little risk opting out, he’ll get at least a 2/30m somewhere, possibly 3/45m. might even get QO of 19m.
The Yankees will most likely tag him with the QO, which would mean they get our 2nd or 3rd round draft pick next year. No thanks.
The back is concerning. Defensive metrics for 1B’man remain trash. Still a plus defender. Seems like he became a little more pull happy aiming for the short porch, which benefited his power, but hurt other aspects of his hitting. Should benefit from the shift restrictions. Loves playing in NY. Judge and Rizzo became very good friends, so any team in on Judge certainly wouldn’t hurt their chances by signing Rizzo if they also need a 1B’man. San Francisco? I don’t think I’d go more than 2/34 because of the back issue. Maybe a 3/48? I suspect he remains a Yankee because they need his lefty bat and he wants to stay. It’s a business though so he’ll follow the money.
I agree. I love Rizzo and he’s been one of the more reliable offensive players in the lineup. I wouldn’t be opposed to a two-year deal for him, but three seems too long, unless there are escalators built into the contract for playing time/injury.
These raises (his, Judge, SP) are going to e the Yankees justification to roll out the same squad without any substantial improvements. As Boone said, “We are championship-caliber right now!”
Yay, losing!
Clipper I don’t think Rizzo is the problem and it wouldn’t surprise me that it’ll take the third year to get him.
The problem is the left side of the field. I’m for moving on from Donaldson and making IKF the utility guy. Sell high on Torres and play DJ at 2nd. Paraza at SS and get ??? to play third. Bring back Beni, have Cabrera play all over and have armed guards around YS to keep Hicks out. I’m at a loss on what to do about Judge.
Whoa, Joe…. You’re talking like someone who want to win a WS. We only want to be “championship caliber and enjoy the camaraderie.”
They boo to find they way to enjoy their money, the player must boo them self too
Hey clip, championship level in what sport ? It’s certainly not in baseball. Have they already forgotten that they appear to be not even in the same league as the Astros, their arch nemeses. It’s concerning that that does not even bother them at all. Even though cashman admitted the Astros were better.
Although the word better, does not cover it. Maybe it’s the word dominant that he’s looking for
Doc, I hear you. It’s like how they conveniently blame injuries every year now for losing.
News flash:
1) We would *not* beat the Astros even if DJ/Benny were healthy this year 9/10 times anyway, because they Astros are a better team, and
2) so, we are now saying there *won’t* be injuries next season? Perhaps we shouldn’t have 20 35-year-olds on the team? (Hyperbolic, I know)
Injuries, the never-ending excuse for being a loser….. Thanks Cashman, bang-up job.
All quite true Clip.
Have to disagree, losing Benintendi and DJ is losing 2 gold gloves and good hitting. Losing King changed the whold dynamic of the pen. Add how Marinaccio was pitching down the stretch, and Effross was a good closer for the Cubs. The Astros lost a couple of years when they had injuries along with the Dodgers. Injuries in sports are a big factor, not an excuse!
I think the Yanks will sign both Rizzo and Judge this winter, and I’m not sure they will be able to trade Hicks and Donaldson. IKF might be easier to move. I can see both Vople and Peraza in the line-up by the end of next season with Peraza at SS to open the season. Yanks will add a good starter and a relief pitcher this winter.
I respect that Slider and you could very well be right, obviously. I just think the Astros are more complete than the Yankees and I look at how the Yankees performed against them during the regular season too, and it was not very good.
I still think the Yankees have too many all-or-nothing hitters. They need more than just two contact/average hitters, imo. Essentially they need almost the reverse split of what they have in the lineup now. They have 6-7 Dave Kingmans, and they need 3 at the most. Look at their championship teams. They were loaded with guys that put the ball in play.
He’s hoping baseball GMs aren’t aware that your grandma could hit 20 homers a year at Yankee stadium assuming she’s a lefty.
Bald-faced lie. She couldn’t even put the bat on the ball. Whiff!
Let’s hope the GM for life thanks Rizzo for all he’s done the last year and a half and waves bye-bype. 32 year olds with bad backs — who miss time with the condition every year — aren’t worth a raise; frankly they aren’t work $16mm a season. It’s a wiser move to trade for Rowdy Tellez this winter.
Who would they trade?
utah cornelius;
You’re asking a Yankee fan on here this?
Incoming…..BS…..Incoming…..BS…..Incoming…..
Enough with the focus on walks. When the rest of your team can’t hit you in because they’re hitting .203, it doesn’t matter how often you get on base. Dump him and get someone who can actually hit the ball. Maybe push DJ LeMahieu over to 1B and find someone to play 2B.
Walks are the new BA…. Can’t you see how well it’s working?
Fishman has it all worked out. Gooooo TTO!
He sure does clip. I say send fishman to the Astros, we’ll see how their offense fares after that. It might be the only chance we have to beat them.
And seriously, I hope Fishman’s mathematical skills are better than his speaking skills. But based on the Yankees results, I don’t think so. I heard him speak in an interview, not only could he not express coherent thoughts, but he could not even explain in any coherent manner, how his system works, or how the Yankees use it. It was not very encouraging that this is the guy is in charge of our analytics, and is something relied on to a great degree by Cashman.
Old York;
He hit .203; has a bad back; misses games during the season; and wants more than $16m in 2023?
I know there are desperate suckers out there, but still…….
Old York, Rizzo had the same SLG and wRC+ and the same number of home runs as Vlad Guerrero Jr., and the difference in their wOBA was one point.
So, Vlad can’t “actually hit” either?
“Enough with the focus on walks” ….translation: ignore intelligent baseball analysis and the research and conclusions of experts! Rant rant old school blah blah rant rant i know better than experts cuz no reason at all!!!
Rizzo will get the QO at minimum. Probably 3/48MM gets it done. The rest of the IF is up in the air, so having Riz locked in, while looking to see what’s out there for Gleyber in trade deals, DJ in a utility role, IKF as a backup as Peraza starts at SS. How much do you have to eat of Donaldson’s money to move him?
I expect NY to become more LH during the winter. Cabrera is going to get evey opportunity to win LF, 3B, 2B or become Ben Zobrist. Elimination of the shift builds value in those traditional Yankee teams again.
I don’t think he’s eligible for QO
Yes, he is eligible for the QO. He was traded last year and wasn’t eligible then. He might end up taking it if it’s offered to him.
They mention in the article that he qualifies.
Of course Rizzo is opting out.
Worst Case – Yankees will give him a QO which would jump his salary for 2023 from $16M to $19..65M
More likely they renegotiate a 2 or 3 year deal with the AAV in the range of $16.5 – $19.5. for him to return to the Yankees
If they let him walk, he’d get a similar offer from another competitive team.
Yeah it’s pretty clear Rizzo’s value is “minimum of $16M but less than $20M a year” so it’s a question of it being a 1, 2, or 3 year deal and at what AAV between $16M and $20M.
Somehow I don’t think he will ever hit the $20M over one year club unless it’s part of a buyout on an option that there’s little to no chance gets picked up or vests.
@trillionaire/nostra etc….
You guys might have to run this by me slowly. In essence what is the difference between a mediocre defensive 1B and say Joey Gallo. I’ve really enjoyed watched the Yanks this year – but really is there are real difference (other than 62) and the TTO of last year?
In other words – a cranky backed low OPS 1st baseman doesn’t get a lot of change in Oakland, for example. Then again, no one get change in Oakland!
Aside from the Yankees, what other teams might be willing to sign him for 2-3 years?
I would say no other team would give him a raise and multiple years.
Rizzo would be an upgrade for 15- or 16 clubs. He would be a great fit on the Padres who need a slugger. His offense would be an immense upgrade over what we have had the last 2 seasons from that position.
Thanks for the memories and good times, Rizzo. Good luck with your next team.
Even though I’m not a Yankee fan I’ve never been a fan of .220 power hitters and especially 33 year old hitters going downhill.
If I’m the Yankees I’d try to sign Abreu. His power took a hit this season but his BA was good and OBP was good. He’s older but you probably just offer him a 1 year deal for 15 to 18 mil. White Sox don’t need him because they have numerous 1B.
Sign Josh Bell and move on.
^A man of wisdom has spoken,,,,
Bell looks like he definitely takes steroids. Probably learned from Tatis Jr
Bell is going to be as big as Willie McCovey or pops Stargell in a few years. Lay off the pasta
Which Josh Bell? The one that played for the Nationals or the one that played for the Padres?
If you get the one that played for the Padres and performed to the tune of a 75 OPS+ then you are going to be very disappointed that you gave up a 1B that had a 131 OPS+ in 2022.
Rizzo will end up with Yankees or Padres on a two year deal
They have Myers
Not after they buy him out in a week or so. They’ve been trying to offload him for years. No chance they exercise that option.
It would be quite the saga in Chicago if Anthony Rizzo signed with the White Sox and Jose Abreu did likewise with the Cubs. It’s not out of the realm of possibility with the White Sox in need of left-handed power to balance out a right-handed leaning batting order.
Any chance of a Rizzo deal or even re-signing Abreu in free agency would likely require the ChiSox trading at least one and maybe two of Andrew Vaughn, Eloy Jimenez and Gavin Sheets. It does appear a significant roster churn is imminent with improvement or depth needed at 2B, SP and perhaps C and in RF.
Rizzo in a White Sox uni would just about kill me, I swear. But yeah, it could happen, unfortunately.
It’s a damn shame how the whole thing went down in Chicago. That team was so good but after they won, they lost their SS (scandal) and their leadoff guy (to the Cards). MVP Zobrist retired and so did part-timer but leader David Ross. Then, Bryant suddenly couldn’t stay healthy. Lester got old quickly. And the farm dried up. The fact that they couldn’t develop pitching really hurt too. The surprising thing to me was Rizzo leaving – I thought he’d be a Cub for life.
Yes. The Cubs had the potential for a ‘dynastic’ run similar to what the Astros have been in since their tainted 2017 championship. Houston has minimally made it to the ALCS in each of those 7 seasons with four World Series appearances including their current one.
There are other reasons aside from those you mentioned. The top one would be Theo Epstein who was directly responsible for the Cubs lack of pitching development. That deficiency forced him to ‘overpay’ in terms of top prospect capital for veteran pitchers including the 3 month rental of closer Aroldis Chapman and more famously for Jose Quintana with his crosstown swap.
Manager Joe Maddon was another factor in the Cubs decline since their 2016 championship with his incessant micro-managing and his seeming inability to be held accountable. Maddon went though hitting and pitching coaches like changing underwear.
Rizzo to the White Sox won’t happen. I would go to Sox park and protest.
Sox have Vaughn and Sheets. Given enough AB’s either one will hit 25 HR’s and drive in 90 plus runs and Sheets is a lefty.
Rizzo will go back to the cubs. Where he belongs.
You could make the same argument for re-signing ‘face of the franchise’ Jose Abreu.
I’m not endorsing the FA signing of Anthony Rizzo or Abreu by the White Sox. What I am suggesting is that in order to shore up 2B, their rotation depth, improve their catching situation and overall team defense changes need to be made.
What do the White Sox have to offer other teams in order to improve their roster knowing that Rick Hahn will likely face budget restrictions from owner Jerry Reinsdorf? Their farm system is improved but is still well behind most other teams in terms of prospect capital. It’s doubtful the White Sox will add any premium FA’s based on their track record and their current projected payroll. Even if JR OK’s a record budget approaching the tax threshold Hahn will be limited with FA options at 2B and at C.
Trades seem Hahn’s best option to directly improve the team or shed salary in order to spend big on a free agent SP. The White Sox greatest roster surplus is at 1B/DH with Jimenez, Vaughn and Sheets and perhaps in their bullpen where the front office was content to spend in free agency last offseason.
Yes, Hahn has already said trades would be more prevalent than FA signings but I have no idea why the Sox would trade, let’s say Vaughn, when you can have him on your team for 5 more years or so? I get the trade bait but Abreu is on the downside. He had 675 AB’s this season (I think) and only hit 15 HR’s with 75 RBI’s. Those AB;s include walks and HBP. Hi BA was good as was his OBP. But Vaughn beat his power numbers AND was playing well out of position. I know he would bring more than Sheets in a trade but I just don’t feel you trade Vaughn. Or Jimenez. Now if he has another injury riddled season then I might check on the trade market. Hahn will make some trades and maybe a middling signing or 2.
It wouldn’t bother me if Rizzo ended up on the South side. It would have it had happened for 2022 but past it now.
Fowler wasn’t great, or even very good for the Cards. The Cubs still went to the NLCS the following year without him. Management sold the farm system for a championship. They got the one but should have been able to do more after 2017.
The whole purpose of not bringing Abreu back is to get Vaughn to 1B, and open up payroll. White Sox will not be adding a 1B.
I see a lot of people suggesting Rizzo to the Marlins, but if the Yankees offer him a QO, that is a no-go to the Fish.
In any case, Rizzo to Miami seems like a long shot. I’d say Abreu has more chances to sign there.
Zero chance of Rizo to Marlins, just zero. Marlins could pick up Bellinger, Myers, cheaper guys on one year deals. Garrett Cooper is ok, too.
Come home Tony, come home.
A fan can always dream, though
Cooper is good, if he is healthy and that is a big if. That, and the scarce faith in Lewin Díaz (personal favourite, even with his low offensive production) makes me wonder about going after a 1B. The market is much better than going after a free agent CF.
Belli would be a bold bet, but makes completely sense as of today.
“Though he will be another year older in 2023, the incoming ban on defensive shifts should benefit him. As a left-handed hitter without much speed, some of his grounders that were easy outs in 2022 could turn into singles going forward.”
This will make an enormous difference in his production over the next few years. His back issues will probably flare up from time to time but that’s likely manageable. He’s still a very good player and his numbers will likely improve wherever he plays next year. If he stays in New York it wouldn’t surprise me if he has one of those Dwight Evans type runs in his mid 30s.
It would be strange to see Rizzo playing on the South Side but, if they part ways with Abreu, it’s worth the investment. My guess is the Yankees give him a reasonable bump in pay and keep him for the next two or three years.
There won’t get the QO because he’d probably take it. At this point his best earnings will come taking it a year at a time. I think he signs back with the Cubs on a 3 year deal. Seems like the move for the cubs to excite the fan fan base with a little nostalgia to get more fans in the park next year.
I’d be surprised to see Anthony Rizzo return to the Cubs. They already have left-handed hitting 1B prospect Matt Mervis knocking on the door. If the Cubs opt for a FA first baseman, right-handed hitting Jose Abreu would make more sense. He could split time with Mervis between 1B and DH in 2023 assuming the latter continues his 2022 hot streak into spring training and at AAA Iowa for a few weeks if necessary. Unlike Rizzo, Abreu can’t be tagged with a qualifying offer after receiving one from the White Sox two years ago following his first and short-lived entry into free agency.
He’ll be lucky to get 16 mill a year he would’ve made next season. By opting out what is he hoping for 3 years? Doubt it’s going to happen. At most they’ll add on an extra year to that contract. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Yankees don’t bring him back, and give that money to Judge. This helps the Yankees to retain Judge imo.
Back to Chicago he goes
It’s going to be Judge and his buddy Rizzo to SF. And I love it
Just Judge, no Rizzo. Let him stay in NYY, he thrived off that bandbox. If we want to sign an aged 1b, just resign Belt.
Phillies would be wise to at least consider signing him. He may not be as good defensively as he used to be, but he’s still a massive upgrade over Rhys Hoskins who continues to kill this team with his putrid defense.
José Abreu seems to be a more attractive 1B FA, who might also be more willing to sign a one-year contract. There are not many teams out there who will want to tie themselves to a defensively subpar 1B at a $ 15m AAV, if a drop below .800 OPS is in sight. If I were Rizzo, I would save my Yankees’ salary before the money is allocated for Judge’s new contract.
Gruß,
BSHH
Can this qualifying offer just stop. It inhibits small market teams from going after big guns in FA, which would in turn boost revenue to get a “shirsey” guy. It makes mid market teams weigh the cost of giving up good draft slots to sign whatever player in question. All of this brings the market value down for the player, which the MLBPA can’t be happy about, in general. Nothing is gained by anyone, through any of this… Except from teams that go over the tax line unequivocally. They benefit. They typically have back end picks in the draft, but consistently lose players of this caliber, this in turn gets them comp picks. Why? This should be disallowed. These clubs have a willingness to spend already. This perceived punishment is an advantage because of the picks they receive in the middle rounds, which accounts for organizational depth. It’s just a lose lose situation for anyone outside of the top 10 organizations. Dumb.
It’s supposed to help the small market teams who lose superstars due to financial constraints. Giving them a draft pick allows affords then the opportunity to build back up. I agree it shouldn’t be equal value for big market clubs, and it’s not. Revenue sharing teams get a pick between 1-2 if they lose a player who rejects the QO vs after the 4th round for teams over the luxury tax vs after competitive balance round B for non revenue sharing teams not over the luxury tax.
Teams over the tax who sign a QO FA loses its
2nd and 5th pick, and $1m in international pool money. Signing >1 FA, its 3rd and 6th round pick is gone as well.
Teams not revenue sharing, not over the tax forfeit their 2nd round pick and $500k international money. Signing another guy forfeits their 3rd and another $500k.
Revenue sharing teams lose their 3rd and 4th for a 2nd player.
What is change is the compensation for revenue sharing teams losing a qualified FA. I’d do a draft pick for every $40-50m. Give them more
‘Similarly, his 10.6% walk rate was a good bit higher than the league-average mark of 8.2%. All in all, wRC+ (which adjusts for his home park and league-wide offensive environment) pegged Rizzo’s bat at 32% better than an average hitter.”
Trying to read and understand that
in the words of Danny Glover
I’m gettin’ too old for this s_it”
All you have to read is “pegged Rizzo’s bat at 32% better than an average hitter.”
This gives me faith that someone will give up something for Hoskins.
Only the Yankees would pay him 16 a year on multiple years. I hope he knows what he’s doing.
“Anthony Rizzo Reportedly Planning To Exercise Opt-Out Clause”
“Anthony Rizzo Reportedly Planning To Exercise”
There, fixed the headline.
I’m not expecting it to happen, but would love to see him return to the Cubs. One of my favorite Cubs of all time!
Opting out doesn’t mean he doesn’t want to be a Yankee. It means he wants a better contract that pays him more over more years. Like the article said, opting out will either give him a modest raise via the QO next year, or likely a multi-year contract given the season he had in 2022. Possibly, he’s hoping the Yankees offer him that. Personally, unless I’m the Yankees or Redsox or any other team with a hilariously short right field fence, I’m not touching him for what he’s looking for.
Rizzo hit 13 HR that would have been out at any stadium in baseball. 22 that would have been gone in 27 ballparks, and 10 that would have been a HR in only 7 parks.
I could live with that. It would be a big improvement for the Padres.
Seems odd that a 1Bman going on 33 is opting out of 1/16m when he was barely worth a lineup spot in all of 2020, 2021, and 2022.
No team should be signing Rizzo for more at the easiest position on the diamond to fill, and no team should be eager to buy his collapse year by offering a multiyear deal.
The Yankees are well out of it. They can give Cabrera a 1Bman’s glove and get two wins from the position for $800k just by adding +15 runs on defense at first.
Rizzo was bad there and is only getting worse. Move on, Cashman. Move on.
But they will.
Any player that puts up an .818 OPS and a 131 OPS+ is extremely valuable. Especially since today they can DH on all 30 teams.
Rizzo will get a minimum of $19.65 million if he accepts the inevitable QO or 2-3 years at $16+ million if he signs a new deal.
If Rizzo leaves, Matt Carpenter will have an opportunity to play more as the first baseman.
That would be depressing if both Judge and Rizzo walked and Carpenter is the starting first baseman. I see him more of a bench player and don’t expect him at all to hit way above his head like last year.
Rizzo would sure look good as a replacement for Gurriel in Houston. Yankees better resign him to an extension if they don’t want that to happen.
If I’m being honest, I have misgivings about more than two years to Rizzo because of his back problems. He’s great from the standpoint of intangibles, and the lineup was much better with him batting from the left and giving protection to Judge. Plus, his habit of choking up with two strikes and going the other way was a delight, a vanishing art. And his average is likely to climb with the elimination of the shift. I’ll say this too: if they lose Judge, Rizzo is the closest thing to a leader besides him, so they’d better bring him back if they let Judge walk.
Yeah, amen to everything in there. Rizzo is great for the team for a variety of reasons. The reality is: it isn’t Rizzo’s batting that hurts this team. It’s everyone else’s lack of batting that does. If the rest of the team hit, Rizzo would be a perfect fit. We have too many guys swinging for the fences and not putting the ball in play – but failing at both. It’s a lineup full of powerless Dave Kingmans. It’s embarrassing.
I think the reason it is so exposed in the postseason is because they face the best pitching on the best teams. Regular season they get to face all different pitchers on all different teams which is why we need a team built for the postseason, not the regular.
The problem being, of course, that those old, injury-prone, underperforming players were given contracts that’ll be hard to move. Still, Rizzo might be worth keeping to have at least some veteran leadership in the clubhouse.
Don’t you know Clip, the postseason is a crapshoot. You can’t build for it. Anything can happen. We just have to hope for the best in the postseason. One day by pure chance alone, we may get to the World Series. And you never know all the players on the Astros could be injured, and they may not make the postseason so they won’t get in our way for a change. of course no reporter has the balls to ask Cashman or Boone, that if it was truly a crapshoot as they alleged, why did the Astros frequently get there, and yet we get eliminated by them every year. It’s because they were afraid to get banned from the clubhouse or the opportunity to cover the team, because the Yankees have been known to do that in the past with certain reporters if they did not like their questions were attitude. That’s the bottom line. Where they never ask the tough questions or follow up when they get BS answers from the Yankees.
Of course I’m just being sarcastic clip. I agree with you 100%. The problem is that Steinbrenner and Cashman don’t, or don’t care.
If Judge walks, they might as well start unloading all the old, injury-prone and underperforming players and do a rebuild. If they could find a trade partner to take Cole’s huge contract off the books, I’d do it in a New York minute and try to sign Rodon. But I’d want a new GM to handle all those deals.
Speaking of which, have you seen the Japanese phenom, Murakami (this year’s, anyway), who plays 1B? He had a .750 or so slugging in ‘22 with 55 HRs. That could be a nice fit in Yankee stadium. He’s young too, more importantly, only 22-years-old.
mlb.com/news/munetaka-murakami-hits-record-56th-ho…
I doubt his team Tokyo Yakult Swallows will post him as they just made the playoffs and fell short.
I hadn’t heard of him, but he definitely sounds intriguing.
I’ll sign on for that clip
I agree pink, and in fact I will go one step further and say they should try to unload coal regardless whether they’re doing a partial rebuild. He makes too much money, at least as far as the Yankees are concerned, and their pressure salary cap obsessions, and he does not supply the quality that we thought we were getting. i’m not saying he is not a good picture, he obviously is, but is he worth $350 million or whatever outlandish amount of money he’s getting, no he is not and we could get another pitcher as good ,or almost is good for a lot less money ,I am sure. Maybe he can go back to the Astros, or somewhere else, where he could become some semblance of the pitcher he was once was
I agree with you on this, Doc. 100%.
Don’t give Hal any ideas now. Had Judge not carried the entire offense the second half with the team totally collapsing and missing the playoffs, I could see it happening. Ship out Cole, Stanton, JD, Gleyber, and IKF. DJL stays bc the clubhouse does need a leader. Sorry, we’re also stuck with Hicks for outfield veteran presence (on the bench preferably).
like all the other ideas, YBC, but I don’t see DJ as a leader. The word is, he’s the quiet type in the clubhouse.
So “ship out” a percentage of your best players? That’s not going to make you better. Yankees were a great team this year. You wanna panic and practically start from scratch by chucking away assets?
@Cosmos. No panic. It’s hypothetical if the Yankees want to retool. Cole and Stanton would be really difficult to move while the money hit would make it not worth it.
I’m sure you could make it work. Its just a very complicated plan to just drop without explaining the rest of it. But, yea, it could work. Would be interesting to take an afternoon or two and sit down and speculate what they’d get in return and what the team would look like. They were very good this year though but bring proactive is better than waiting for decline so I can see where your plan makes sense.
Since I’m not a Yankee fan I don’t follow them that closely but I never realized how old their infield is.
QO is coming @ 19M. Maybe they can work out a deal 2 Years @ 38M, with a team option for a third @ 18M with a 7M buyout, making the contract 3Yrs @56M with 45M guaranteed..
Do you have any freaking clue what that would do to the Yankees luxury tax?
Rizzo isn’t a 22.5 aav player for starters, which is what you are agreeing to pay him and what his luxury tax hit would be. The Yankees need to finagle contract terms like crazy if they want to make the luxury tax palatable.
This will be the second straight year the Yankees will be in luxury tax territory… that’s a 30% hit on overages and an additional 12% for 20-40 million over which most likely the Yankees would land.
Just dumb man math, Rizzo would cost the Yankees approximately 30 million for next season.
Some team will swoop in and pay him, and I really don’t want to see DJ at first. Free agents cost money as well.
After that debacle in the ALCS, I really don’t care about their luxury tax, and other BS. Hal makes plenty of dough!
Fans need to stop worrying about the teams finances, and just be concerned about what they’re putting on the field which hasn’t been able to get the job done and that’s winning the World Series.
Judge 9yrs @ 340M
Look, This year is a total difference from last year. Last year because of the lockout nobody was able to talk money with any FA. Now, Were backdoor negotiations going on? We’ll probably never know. But when the lockout ended guys were jumping at the first decent offer they got. Now this being a normal year you’ll get more offers from more teams and they’ll drive the prices up just like every other year. I think Rizzo could probably get more from somebody other than the Yankees, But I’m betting he would take 2 years at around 38-40 million bucks. He’s be a fool to leave the Yankees and that sweet short RF porch. With Playoff money plus a decent salary, I don’t think he’s leaving, especially if Judge leaves. How’s that Stanton contract looking now? It’s worse than Heywards.