Former Yankees, Cubs All-Star Free Agent Acknowledges He May Have to Retire
New York Yankees free agent first baseman Anthony Rizzo wants to keep playing. But he also acknowledged that his career could be over if teams don’t start calling with viable offers.
“I’ve definitely thought about (his career being over). I think I have a lot to give to the game still,” Rizzo said to The Athletic.
“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.”
More news: Yankees’ Facial Hair Policy Prevented Them From Signing Players, Says World Series Winning Pitcher
Elsa/Getty Images
Rizzo, 35, has spent the last three-plus seasons with the Yankees after spending 10 years of his career with the Chicago Cubs. With Chicago, Rizzo was a three-time All-Star, a four-time Gold Glove award winner, and a one-time World Series champion.
Rizzo was solid with the Yankees in 2022, but had a freak concussion in 2023 that affected his performance. He also dealt with multiple injuries last year.
“Two years ago, I had kind of a weird year with the concussion,” Rizzo said to The Athletic. “Then last year, I was hurt twice. My power numbers dropped.”
Rizzo is a bit surprised about the lack of market he has, but also doesn’t want to take a deal that would ruin it for the next crop of players like him.
“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, I’m like, you guys are crazy. You’re almost trying to ruin the market for the next guy.”
Last season, Rizzo appeared in 92 games, slashing .228/.301/.335 with eight home runs and 35 runs batted in. With the Cubs, he was a perennial 25-plus home run hitter, and had a slash line of .272/.372/.489 across 1,308 games.
Now, Rizzo is hoping to continue his career, but understands it’s largely out of his control. While he’d love to find any job, he also is cognizant of the fact that his wife, Emily, is due to give birth on June 15. Thus, he’s less inclined to sign with a team that isn’t expecting to contend who would want to trade him at the deadline.
“I’m going to train until the season starts and even well into the season and see what happens,” Rizzo said. “I want to play. I want to win. And I love talking the game with pitchers, with hitters. There’s so much to dive into. Everything that goes into it, on the field, off the field, I’ll still be talking about it with guys. We’ll just see if I continue playing.”
More news: Dodgers Pitcher Hit in Head by 105.5 MPH Line Drive in Scary Cactus League Moment
For more MLB news, head over to Newsweek Sports.
