The Yankees announced that they have declined their 2025 club option on Anthony Rizzo, and the veteran first baseman is now a free agent. It was an $11MM decision for the team, as Rizzo will receive a $6MM buyout instead of the $17MM salary he would’ve received if the option had been exercised.
The move probably ends Rizzo’s tenure of three-plus seasons in the Bronx, which began after he was a trade deadline pickup from the Cubs in July 2021. He hit well enough that the Yankees re-signed him to a two-year, $32MM deal that winter, and since that deal contained an opt-out clause after the first season, Rizzo parlayed that opt-out into another two-year, $40MM pact the following offseason.
Rizzo’s 2022 season was easily his best in New York, as he hit .224/.338/.480 with 32 homers over 548 plate appearances. He was also off to a hot start in the first two months of the 2023 campaign before his career was altered by a collision at first base with Fernando Tatis Jr. on May 28, 2023. Rizzo picked up what was deemed as a neck injury on the play and returned to action after sitting out a few games, yet he then went into a brutal slump over the next two-plus months until finally going on the IL at the start of August. Rizzo was diagnosed with post-concussion syndrome, which naturally led to quite a bit of controversy over how Rizzo was both misdiagnosed in the first place, and why his head-related injury went seemingly unnoticed for so long.
That IL placement ended Rizzo’s 2023 season, and he returned to more bad injury luck this year when he fractured his right forearm after another awkward collision at first base in June. Rizzo went on the 60-day injured list and didn’t return until the start of September, and he then suffered further injury when he had two fingers broken by a Ryan Borucki pitch near the end of the regular season. The broken fingers kept Rizzo out of the Yankees’ ALDS matchup with the Royals, though he returned to hit a respectable .267/.421/.300 over 38 PA in the ALCS and World Series.
Since Opening Day 2023, Rizzo has hit only .237/.315/.358 over 796 regular-season plate appearances, over 191 of 324 games. His translates to 0.6 fWAR and a below-average 91 wRC+, and since Rizzo turned 35 last August, it made for a pretty easy call for the Yankees in declining the option.
The health question is clearly paramount for Rizzo as he returns to the open market, as possible suitors will surely have concerns of what Rizzo still has in the tank after 14 Major League seasons. His track record and respected locker room presence probably means that he should be able to land some kind of big league contract for a low guaranteed salary, if likely as a platoon bat rather than a regular at first base. A return to the Yankees at a lower salary seems possible, but the likelier scenario is that New York either fortifies the lineup with a bigger bat at first base, or perhaps rotates DJ LeMahieu and others through the position.
Goodbye Riz 🙁
Yea he gone his last memories are not running to first and whiffing big at the plate
“Not running to first”…That was on Gerrit Cole not Rizzo. Riz has always been an elite 1b defender and everyone knows you cannot charge a spinning ball, since it might spin away unexpectedly. Rizzo had every reason to believe that Gerrit Cole would do his job and cover 1b.
You’re only partially correct…Rizzo USED to be an elite defender, not so much anymore. Yeah Cole should have been there but Boone said he was tired, lol.
And Judge didn’t hit . What’s your point?
Lazy didn’t feel like running. Both of their faults now maybe both gone
How ‘bout them White Sox?
It was time. I respect him and all he has accomplished but the injuries/Father Time has caught up with him.
Rizzo would’ve been so great as a Yankee in his prime. I can see why Chicago loves this guy so much, but the reality is that we must move on from expensive, aging vets.
Also, we know Hal must be cautious with his budget. Money doesn’t grow on trees and 400 quadrillion dollars only goes so far these days.
“Would’ve been so great..Yankee in his prime”…As a long time Yankees hater myself, you are completely correct, sir. Riz is one of those guys you’d love to have a beer with. He was built for the bright lights of NYC. He’s 100% one of the guys built to be a Yankee and it would have been great to see him there in his prime.
Agreed. Statements like that are a reflection of the mistaken and arrogant belief that to be a Yankees player is somehow special
“Yankees player is somehow special”..As a noted Yankees hater, the Yankees are “special”. They’re the most historically successful team in MLB. Even as a “hater” I realize the Yankee’s place in baseball lore and history and that’s why I ALWAYS watch them 3-5 times every week. The Yankees have always been among the 5-7 teams I watch closely every year.
I know some are making him the fall guy for Game 5, but others should also share the blame (Cole, Volpe).
He will find another home relatively easily, good guy with a remarkable history. I wish him the best.
Can’t let Judge off the hook either.
dobson – Judge hit the homerun and made the spectacular catch up against the wall, so he is somewhat forgiven for the error.
I like Judge a lot but to be fair, he did absolutely zero until that one home run. Statically, it is one RBI. The biggest bat in the line up did nothing. The error just amplified his lack of contribution.
Or the manager who is responsible for having his team ready to play.
How Boone still has a job is behind me. If George was alive, he would have pitched him in the Hudson years ago. On the other hand, I don’t think may MLB players are open to constructive ciriticism. They are going to do what they want because they have a guaranteed contract. .
The players don’t fill out the line-up card or decide to put themselves into a WS game in the 10th inning after not pitching for 40 days and also not being a reliever.
The Yankees played in 5 WS games w/ at least 9 innings per game. They had their opportunities and Judge didn’t hit. No reason to blame the loss on one play. They had many chances.
Welcome to the Yanks, Paul Goldschmidt!
NO! D-back or Astro…
I don’t see Goldy as a Yank.
Mets sign Soto.
Yankees sign Alonso
Yuck. An aging right-handed bat that does not compliment the line-up and plays the easiest position to fill? No, thanks. If Soto doesn’t sign with the Yankees, then getting under luxury tax thresh hold is the second-best FA available.
After that poor play at 1st base i dont blame them.
That play had nothing to do with this decision.
That was on Cole, bruh.
That was Cole’s misplay, not Rizzo’s. There are many reasons to decline the option, but Rizzo’s handling of that play is not one of them. Cole blew the play.
Goodbye Rizzo… you were a nice player for the Yanks and one of the best 1Bs of the decade but it’s time to move on, you’re also a great human being in general and I hope you have a great future, will def miss you.
I’ve rearranged my day and canceled various commitments just to log on and voice my displeasure with this move.
Okay, Now please continue on with your day.
There is a chance the Yankees and Rizzo could work out a deal still (I don’t think so given the injury history), It just won’t be for $17 million per year. No other team is signing Rizzo for $17 million, either, so when the market sets Rizzo price he might still be an option for the Yankees.
Gonna miss the man, not so much the player. It sucks what happened to him post concussion. He was important to the team in many ways but he was not even a shell of himself at the end of it. Idk who’s next, it’ll depend on how Soto plays out, I wouldn’t even mind signing Soto plus a platoon type 1B, maybe even Ben Rice, and beginning the slow transition of Soto to 1B. If we lose the Soto bidding I’m in for a run at Christian walker.
Jed will do that. Welcome home.
With Belli now opting in no way in hell Cubs bring him back, and rightfully so…he’s a slow, aging player who doesn’t hit for much power anymore and Father Time has certainly embraced!!
Great guy but his run with the Yankees is over. It’ll be interesting to see where he lands next season.
This Yankee team is going to look completely different next year with Rizzo, Soto and potentially Cole out of the mix. Not sure they have the horses in the minors to make up for the loss. That wallet will be extra fat, though.
They do not. Their farm system isn’t that great. Jasson Dominguez can replace Verdugo but there is no other MiLB player suited to play everyday much less fill in for Soto. Rodon becomes the ace. Ben Rice also hasn’t shown he can hit MLB pitching yet for 1B.
Cole and Soto will be back. Rizzo hasn’t been in the mix for the last two years really.
We watched a different season unfold. The reason Judge had one of the most productive offensive seasons ever, was because of Juan Soto. No more 32-year-old FA 1B. Bregman and Santander are both over 30 years old, too. The problem with the roster has been aging position players like Rizzo and Donaldson not performing. I will take a 26-year-old Soto over all three of those guys together (Santander, Bregman, Walker). The reason the Yankees were in the WS was because of the youthful athleticism of guys like Jazz Chisholm and Juan Soto. Investing in declining FA position players like Rizzo and Donaldson got us a last place finish in 2023.
Another factor in buying him out is that they still have an aging, injury-prone INF whose production is deteriorating quickly in DJLM. You can only carry so many of those and expect to the rest of the roster to pick up the slack.
Well… Thank God you are also not running the Yankees front office. Which player replaces Soto with enough defense and base running that his offense ins’t missed? You are describing Verdugo.
It’s not your money, and yes he is. He is four years younger than Santander and headed for the HOF. Santander had a good season sandwiched in a fantastic lineup.
That is the worst argument that I have ever heard. You don’t “believe” Soto’s birth certificate, and we didn’t win the WS because Soto didn’t play defense or run the bases well enough?? Judge dropped a ball that hit him in the face almost. Judge signed before Soto. That is why he will get more money than Judge. A left-handed hitting Soto balanced out the lineup and allowed the Yankees to reach the WS. Boone is a complete idiot. That is why we lost. Not because the roster sucked with Soto on it. Go be a Mets fan.
Santander has had man good seasons for the O’s and is a contact type of hitter who has ruled the Yankees when they play each other….signing him, would be a great step in the right direction and he is switch which is an added benefit….Soto will go to whoever pays him the most….and he won’t sign until Dec. which means if you wait and fail to sign him, most if not all the impact players you can acquire will be gone….
All I did was watch about 150 Yankees games this year and saw how Soto changed how teams pitch to him and Judge and the stress it places on an opposing pitcher. If Santander was so great, why didn’t his team lose in the WS?? Since we stopped talking about facts and switched to insults about who is spanking what and for who, take your unsubstantiated racist claims about Soto and his age to your Klan meeting where you can spank it together.
Soto completely changes our lineup, he’s my absolute priority if I’m Cashman. Not only does he complement judge and G as a lefty, his approach fits in perfectly, and his swagger and confidence are a nice change of pace from judge and his calculated, humble leadership. Soto truly fits incredibly well on our roster, and I’m not saying this as a delusional fan boy, I think his defense is very rough and frustrating at times. He has an aura, a lineup presence, and a moment will never be too big for him. That has immeasurable value if your goal is a world championship.
Bregman has been showing signs of becoming a sinking ship consistently over the last few years, he’s also known for fluffing his HR numbers with the Crawford boxes more than any other player. Wouldn’t touch him with a 10 ft pole.
Santander and walker are fine backup plans but neither is young and after being burned by Hicks, lemahieu, Donaldson, rizzo, etc… I think the FO will be wary of 30+ types.
I like walker very much as a player, and I honestly have no problem with the rizzo deal even in hindsight, the concussion stuff was unfortunate and until it happened it was looking great for us. The others were fairly obviously not great.
I get that giving a massive contract to Soto hamstrings us in other areas, we’re blessed with a pitching coach who enables us to build an insane bullpen considering the roster. I worry about our offense. It seems every non-generational hitter that joins our roster gets worse. Verdugo was so solid and finished like crap, hicks was overrated but decent and turned into hot garbage, JD fell off a cliff, so did big G, especially before his resurgence this year, volpe is a mess, i mean it goes on and on. What I’m getting at is I think the only way I trust our offense if if we have unbreakable skillsets like soto’s
Astros will be calling soon Anthony!
Bring back Bird !
As a huge Cub fan, I hope the Cubs signed him as a player/coach! He’s definitely the second Mr. Cub!
Put down the bong….Santo was about the only thing close to a second Mr Cub, and then possibly Ryno. Rizzo had a few great seasons as a player and is still a great person but nowhere near a Mr Cub.
Santo was a screaming banshee, Rizzo will find a setting that fits his deserved stature. Maybe the Cards
Very easy decision.
Come back as a coach Rizz.
I was always a fan of Rizzo, and appreciated his grit this postseason, but the injuries while not his fault have hurt him as a player. I wish him well on his next stop.
Once a cub always a cub. Chicago loves ya Tony 2 chains aka Rizz. You always have a home here.
So does the 6 mil count against the cap ? If not, why not just keep him before spending that much to cut a guy….
That’s exactly why, he’s absolutely not worth 17 mil against the soft cap and a buyout, unless I’m mistaken, doesn’t affect the luxury tax “cap”. He’s just not very good anymore, I love the guy as a fan, but even his defense has been very shaky by any measure all season,and the offense has all but dissipated.
Imagine the confusion if the Mets landed Soto first and then the Yankees responded with Alonso as Rizzo’s replacement
Ryan W: How would that be confusing?
Lack of a better word. Concept of Odd, weird, difficult to get used to.
Ryan W: No more so than any other player changing teams via trade or free agency.
Rizzo was NOT responsible for the non out at 1st; all mlb commentator’s validated that COLE had to cover 1st…period. Little League style play killed Yanks in 5th.
Now, Rizzo is a great guy, great clubhouse influence, team player whose time has come, thus to leave Yankees. Much loved. Now can we realize it’s time to jettison ALL FA w options except Cole, Weaver and move on signing Soto & younger players? I’ve lived 3 WS droughts and it’s TIME!
Wonder if the Cubs bring him back on a one-year deal to finish his career at Wrigley.
Right now, 1b next season is a platoon with LeMahieu and Rice… yikes!
1 of my biggest fears as a fan is the Yanks counting on lemahieu as anything more than a bench option for next season. I’d rather see rice continue to develop and face both LHP and rhp than lemahieu spend any kind of regular time on the field.
Rizzo seems like a great guy, but it’s time, and this move was pretty obvious. I don’t think Rice is the answer though. He’s got Greg Bird written all over him, despite his “can do” attitude. They’ve got TJ Rumfield in the minors who seems to be the high average, contact hitter needed on this team. Maybe they reinvent Spencer Jones as a 1B (he played there in College), bring down his strikeouts, and groom him as the long-term answer. But signing another high-priced, 30-year FA would be a mistake if staying under $300M in payroll is the goal.
Cheap enough for a Twins flyer? Need a left handed bat and a 1B with Kirilloff out of the picture.
Dude don’t do it, he’s not even good on defense anymore, that concussion really messed him up and it’s pretty damn sad.
Time to hang em up
About time they got rid of Rizzo; he has been useless for a long time.
Unload DJL next please. Honestly I would try Cabrera and Rice next year. Bye bye Torres too. Pereza or Vivas or Durbin for second base. Yankees need to be a more athletic team with more speed.
I wonder how useful you would be if you went two months with an undiagnosed concussion ?
Once he is all healed in offseason some team like HOU could sign him to an incentive laden contract. His bat is slowing but still slightly above average defensively (Reduced range)
AR could still play another 3 years if he wants to. Win a second WS ring maybe.
His body is quitting…Time to retire Rizzo
He’ll end up on the Rays
The Mariners could be in the talks for him
Could be a one year fit in Houston.