In his prime, Anthony Rizzo was one of the National League's most well-rounded players. He finished top-10 in MVP voting three times (2014-16) and won four Gold Gloves (2016; 2018-20) with the Chicago Cubs.
Once the 2024 World Series concluded, it became an open question of what Rizzo's MLB future looked like. He simply hasn't been the same since a concussion plagued him for most of 2023, and he produced some of the worst numbers of his career in 2024: a .228/.301/.335 slash line with just eight home runs (twenty total extra-base hits), good for an 81 OPS+.
He remains one of the few notable free agents still available as spring training games get underway this year.
With no obvious destinations remaining now that the Cubs scooped up Justin Turner, Rizzo's career may be at an unfair, unceremonious, and abrupt end. While he got to play for the AL Pennant winners in what could end up being his final season, Rizzo's story will remain a cautionary tale for future players of his ilk.
Rizzo and Cubs never should have split
Back in 2021, the Cubs had offered Rizzo a five-year, $70 million extension. It was designed to run through the 2026 season, which would have kept the first baseman in Chicago until he was 36.
At the time, the deal was insulting, as Rizzo was already earning more than $16 million per year via team options on the back-end of the original extension he signed with the Cubs. Taking a $14 million annual salary after producing such a storied legacy with the team was never on the table.
So, instead, Rizzo was dealt to the Yankees at that year's trade deadline as part of the Great Chicago Fire Sale of 2021, which brought top prospect Kevin Alcantara to Wrigleyville.
To @ARizzo44, the heart and soul of the greatest Cubs team of all time.
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) July 30, 2021
For all you’ve done on the field and for all you do off it.
Thank you. #TeamRizzo pic.twitter.com/1OQPagPHSo
Rizzo would spend the remainder of that 2021 season, as well as the next three years, in pinstripes. He earned $50 million from 2022-24, also securing a $6 million buyout when the Yankees refused his player option for 2025.
In terms of AAV, Rizzo did far better than what the Cubs originally offered, making nearly $19 million across his three full seasons in New York. However, he's now without a home heading into his age-35 season, and that doesn't look likely to change with spring training games starting up.
Should Rizzo have accepted that deal to remain the Cubs' first baseman? It's hard to say, even with the benefit of hindsight.
Obviously, he'd have two more guaranteed years of salary coming in. In order to match that $70 million offer, he'd have to secure a two-year, $14 million deal in free agency right now. Calling that unlikely would be an understatement.
However, the Cubs were pitiful the last few seasons, and Rizzo probably never would have gotten to suit up in the World Series again if he stuck around with Chicago.
Revisionist history is a difficult thing in pro sports, especially when it pertains to the human beings that are the pro athletes. Would Rizzo have sustained that career-defining concussion in Chicago? Probably not, but he also wouldn't have gotten to add to his postseason résumé in the Windy City either.
If this is it for Rizzo, it's an unfortunate ending for one of the best players in Cubs history and one of the best first baseman of his generation. Perhaps other franchise legends will take notice of his frozen markets this winter and take some team-friendly deals with their current teams.