Anthony Rizzo didn’t have the year he was looking to have for the New York Yankees a year ago. As a result, Rizzo is still on the free agency market, and it doesn’t seem likely to end anytime soon. He hit .228 for the Yankees a year ago, playing worse than ever defensively, too. Factor that in with his 82 OPS+ and just eight home runs in 92 games, and it makes sense why he’s a free agent, frankly.
However, with the Boston Red Sox being in the position they’re in, some have suggested that the former Yankees first baseman could be a good fit for them. That included Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, a few weeks ago, who said that he might be someone the Red Sox take a look at after Triston Casas went down with a season-ending knee injury.
“I’ll give you another name too,” Rosenthal said. “This guy’s not playing, but he’s out there. Anthony Rizzo. Rizzo remains a free agent, and I’m quite certain it will take him some time to get into shape, but again this is a season-ending injury to Casas, and who knows they might want to take a shot along those lines.”
Anthony Rizzo Could Be Possibility for Red Sox
When searching for external options, The Sporting News’ Nick Radosevich also named Rizzo a potential option for the Boston Red Sox.
He added that the 2016 World Series champion with the Chicago Cubs and the World Series runner-up with the New York Yankees last year is a good defender and could succeed with the Red Sox at the plate with the short right field porch.
“Another external option is veteran first baseman Anthony Rizzo. Rizzo, 35, was drafted by the Red Sox in 2007.
“Rizzo is a free agent who may be considering retirement after a rough 2023 and 2024 season, but the three-time All-Star and 2016 World Series champion is a great defender and could find success again at the plate if Boston is desperate to make a move,” he wrote.
Anthony Rizzo Still Wants to Continue MLB Career
Rizzo admitted that after his season with the New York Yankees, he wanted to continue to play. When speaking to The Athletic during the offseason, he noted, however, that he didn’t want to play for only a few million dollars.
While Rizzo’s performance with the Yankees suggested that he wasn’t worth much more than that, he had other reasons behind it.
The reasoning for his comments was due to him not wanting to hurt other veterans on the market. He didn’t want teams to believe that a 10-year big leaguer deserves just the minimum.
“But at the same time, if teams are not going to want to pay a few million dollars for veterans, I’ve seen it the last 10 years of my career. It’s what happens to the older guys. They kind of get squeezed. You’ve seen it happen more and more. I’m not naive to it. It could be it.”
There’s some truth in Rizzo’s comments, but admitting that he hasn’t been great is also essential.
There’s undoubtedly something about being a veteran of his status, but this is a business at the end of the day.
Whether the Boston Red Sox or another team takes a chance, he has to perform.
Yankees’ Anthony Rizzo Predicted to Sign with AL East Rival