Yankees Tabbed ‘Highly Unlikely’ to Keep $51 Million Slugger

This season has hardly been one to remember for Yankees first baseman Anthony Rizzo. But then again, last year was not all that much better.

Rizzo was called up this week after rehabbing a broken bone in his arm suffered in June, which caused him to miss the past two-and-a-half months, interrupting what had already been a disappointing year for the now 35-year-old slugger.

At the time of his injury, Rizzo was batting just .223 with a career-low .630 OPS. The Yankees replaced him with a mostly toothless combination of rookie Ben Rice—who struggled after an initially strong start—and DJ LeMahieu, with a sprinkling of Oswaldo Cabrera. Rizzo has been solid in two games back in the big leagues, going 3-for-8 with two doubles.

That’s an especially positive sign for him, because he is not just playing to help the Yankees get back to the playoffs. Rizzo is also playing for this future in the Bronx, and maybe in MLB.

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Anthony Rizzo Under Pressure in September

That point was hammered home in a CBS Sports article this week titled, “MLB roster expansion: 10 most intriguing additions, including top prospects and former All-Star, batting champ.” Rizzo was among the most intriguing of the September callups.

That’s because he signed a three-year, $51 million contract with the Yankees before the 2023 season, a deal that the Yankees have the option of cutting short after this season, in which case, it will be a two-year $40 million contract. Rizzo’s contract calls for him to be paid $17 million per year for three years, but only $6 million of that is guaranteed in 2025.

Rizzo has much to prove to the Yankees, then, in the coming weeks.

As CBS’s RJ Anderson, who ranked Rizzo No. 2 among the most intriguing call-ups, wrote:

“We feel obligated to highlight Rizzo, a three-time All-Star who hasn’t seen big-league action since June because of a fractured arm. Rizzo was in the midst of a career-worst effort when he went down (.223/.289/.341 in 70 games). That’s not ideal given that he recently celebrated his 35th birthday, and that his employment next season hinges on a club option that seems highly, highly unlikely to be exercised at this point in time.

“It’s at least possible this is Rizzo’s last stand as a big-league regular. If so, here’s hoping he makes the most of it.”

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Yankees Figure to Explore Other 1B Options

Indeed, it is likely that Rizzo can keep playing beyond this season if he so chooses. But it probably won’t be at $17 million, now will it be as the starter for the Yankees. First base is a position that has been greatly devalued, and the Yankees figure to either go after a big name—Pete Alonso has gotten plenty of mention—to take over next season, or treat it as a place for the team to save some money with a cheap alternative.

Rice, for example, could at least have a chance at the job, after he hit seven homers in 49 games. He did, however, hit .174 in his Yankees time.

Still, Rizzo is not giving up on himself. Before his return this week, he said he was ready to return to his old All-Star form.

“That’s the mentality, always,” Rizzo said, via the New York Post. “Whenever things aren’t going well, it’s easy to look at the negative if you want, but it’s getting back to getting right. There’s no shying away from it. As a baseball player, this is what you go through. Hopefully today I’ll get on the right track.”

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