First baseman Anthony Rizzo remains without a job this spring training
Anthony Rizzo needs only to look at his former crosstown rival for the market’s view of first basemen.
New York Mets slugging first baseman Pete Alonso settled on a two-year, $54 million deal with an opt out a week before spring training. Meanwhile, Rizzo, 35 and five years older than Alonso, sits, without a job, in the first days of spring training games.
“I’ve definitely thought about (the end). I think I have a lot to give to the game still,” Rizzo told The Athletic on Friday.
“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.”
Rizzo completed his four-year stint with the Yankees in 2024 when he batted .228/.301/.335 with eight home runs and 35 RBIs in 92 games (375 plate appearances). As he dealt with injuries over the past two seasons, his production dropped from a 130 OPS+ in 130 games in 2022 to a 94 in 2023 to 81 in 2024.
He became a free agent in November when the Yankees declined his $17 million option. He got a buyout of $6 million, a number he can’t get close to now to be on a major-league roster. But he doesn’t plan on settling.
“I’m surprised, but not like crazy surprised just because I’m a realist in the game and you’re getting older,” Rizzo said. “The fact that teams want you to play for basically league minimum ($760,000), I’m like, you guys are crazy. You’re almost trying to ruin the market for the next guy.”
If Rizzo is forced to retire, he will be able to look fondly at a productive career that included a World Series, three All-Star nods and four Gold Gloves. He has 303 career home runs, 1,644 hits and 965 RBIs with a .261/.361/.467 slash line (123 OPS+).
