Adam Wells October 31, 2024
Maddie Meyer/Getty Images
While most of the focus following the end of the season for the New York Yankees is going to be on Juan Soto’s free agency, they could be in the market for a new first baseman with Anthony Rizzo possibly not coming back in 2025.
Speaking to reporters after a 7-6 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 5 of the World Series, Rizzo didn’t have a concrete answer when asked about his future in the Bronx.
“I don’t know what the future will [hold],” Rizzo said. “Talk with Cash, see what they’re thinking. We have a lot left to give in this game in a lot of different ways.”
It will be unfortunate of the final memory Yankees fans have of Rizzo is the defensive miscue on a Mookie Betts grounder in the fifth inning of Wednesday’s loss that helped spur a five-run inning for the Dodgers to tie the score.
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Oh wow…
Another mistake from the Yankees defense as nobody covers 1st and the Dodgers are on the board! pic.twitter.com/BACmr6IKkM
The Yankees committed two errors in the fifth before Rizzo’s play, so he wasn’t the only player at fault for what happened. He was also one of their better hitters throughout this postseason with a .267/.421/.300 slash line in 38 plate appearances over 10 games.
Rizzo has had a pragmatic view of things given his age, injury concerns and performance this season. He acknowledged prior to Game 4 of the World Series that the series “could very well be” his last game in Yankee pinstripes.
“I’m a realist. I’m not naive to it,” Rizzo said. “But I think all that will shape out when the time is right. It’s more just driving to the field and being with this group that means the most to me.”
The Yankees hold a $17 million team option on Rizzo’s contract for next season. It seems highly unlikely they will pick that up, especially since their 2025 payroll estimates are already brushing up against the competitive balance tax before they even start negotiating what could be a historic contract for Soto.
Rizzo had the worst season of his career in which he played at least 50 games in 2024. He hit .228/.301/.335 with eight homers in 337 at-bats and ranked last among 25 first baseman with at least 350 plate appearances in wRC+ (85).
Even though the Yankees don’t have an obvious replacement at first base on the roster, it wouldn’t be hard to find another player who could give even the same level of production as Rizzo did in 2024.
The Yankees could also decline Rizzo’s option and attempt to bring him back at a lower salary than the $17 million figure.
There are a lot of big decisions for general manager Brian Cashman and the front office in New York to make this offseason after a run to the World Series that ended in disappointing fashion for the franchise.
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