New York Yankees first baseman Anthony Rizzo has officially opted out of his contract, opening the possibility of landing with the Chicago Cubs once again.
Anthony Rizzo lasted a season and a half with the New York Yankees before officially opting out of his contract and becoming a free agent for 2023. After a disappointing postseason elimination where the Houston Astros swept the Yankees in the ALCS, it’s no surprise that talented players are negotiating for more money.
Rizzo has done a lot for the Chicago Cubs and could definitely land there again if they offer him the right amount of money, despite his departure. He was traded from the Cubs to the Yankees in 2021 but insists there are ‘no hard feelings’ and seems to understand it from a business standpoint.
Considering both parties seem to remain on good terms, it’s safe to assume Rizzo wouldn’t be opposed to joining the Cubs again, though it’s not guaranteed.
The Cubs haven’t quite been able to reach the same success they did in 2016 after their World Series win. They’ve only made the playoffs three times since, two of which resulted in eliminations from the Wild Card series.
Rizzo was part of the core success in 2016, and he’s shown no signs of slowing down. Rebuilding the 2016 team as much as possible may be the extra push Chicago needs to be contenders again.
There are still some core members of that team, such as Willson Contreras and Jason Heyward. Contreras may not be on the team much longer as he is eligible for free agency in 2023 and was tied to quite a few trade rumors for the deadline this past season. He’s expressed a desire to explore free agency, so it seems unlikely he’ll re-sign with the Cubs regardless of what they offer him.
Several core players have already gone to other teams, most notably Kyle Schwarber, who played in the World Series with the Philadelphia Phillies this season. Players included in the trade package with Rizzo were Javier Baez and Kris Bryant, which truly broke up the 2016 core team.
The replacements for the players who left just haven’t been able to compare, and the Cubs could benefit strongly from having Rizzo back.
The Cubs should go after Anthony Rizzo once again
Chicago has relied mainly on Alfonso Rivas to get the job done at first since trading Rizzo away, but he hasn’t had nearly the same impact. Rizzo still brings a powerful impact to the lineup, slashing .224/.338/.480 for an OPS of .818 this season.
Rivas hasn’t produced nearly as much power with a slugging percentage of .307 and OPS of .629. He’s also a brand new player, having only played 18 games in 2021 and making most of his debut this season. He hasn’t had a chance to prove himself yet, but he could benefit from having a veteran mentor such as Rizzo.
Rizzo will likely drive a hard bargain, harder for the Cubs than anyone, considering they traded him away. However, the odds don’t seem to be out of the picture and Rizzo is opening up the opportunity to play for Chicago once again.