Rizzo, 33, spent many years with the Cubs, a key part of the club’s core that broke a 108-year-old curse by winning the 2016 World Series. From 2014 to 2019, he was remarkably consistent and productive, hitting between 27 and 32 home runs in each of those six years. His wRC+ was always between 126 and 155, indicating he was between 26% and 55% above league average at the plate. His strikeout ratio, according to FanGraphs, was between 3.2 and 5.3 in each of those campaigns. The next two seasons saw Rizzo slip somewhat from those lofty heights, though he was still a strong performer. In the shortened 2020 campaign, he hit .222/.342/.414 for a wRC+ of 103. The following year, which included a midseason deal with the Yankees, he hit .248/.344/.440 and a wRC+ of 113. Despite the slight slump, he was still above average at the plate and is generally considered a solid defender at first base. He was not eligible for a qualifying offer due to the midseason trade. He and the Yankees agreed to a deal that would keep him in the Bronx, with Rizzo making $32 million over two years, though he could opt out of his final year and his $16 million salary. Despite dealing with various ailments during 2022, he ended up having a nice bounce back campaign. His 32 home runs matched a career high, and his .224/.338/.480 line amounted to a wRC+ of 132. Based on that strong performance, he activated his opt-out and returned to free agency in search of a bigger deal. It is also speculated that the upcoming ban on offensive defensive changes will help him, as his left-handed bat and slow speed make him particularly vulnerable to them. The Yankees extended him a $19.65 million offer, which he could have accepted and locked into a small increase in his expected salary. But he appeared to have other suitors, with the Astros being a club known to be interested in him. 3pm Central time today was the deadline for players to accept or reject qualifying offers, with Rizzo among the 12 who declined, though reports surfaced shortly after that he and the Yankees agreed to a bigger deal. Rizzo will return to first base and make $17M per year, very close to QO, but will actually have an AAV slightly ahead thanks to the buyout. His $40 million guaranteed over two years comes out slightly ahead of the two years and $36 million projected by MLBTR. By getting Rizzo to put pen to paper, the Yanks prevented a key bat from departing in free agency. Of course, Rizzo is only the second most important player in this camp as all eyes are on Aaron Judge and whether the Yanks can convince him to stick around. With Rizzo’s contract on the books, the club’s 2023 payroll is now about $207 million, according to Roster Resource’s estimate. Last year, they opened the season at $246 million, per cradle baseball contracts, leaving them about $40 million in space before reaching that gap. Of course, if they’re willing to increase their spending beyond last year’s levels, they’ll have even more to work with. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic first reported that Rizzo and the Yanks were reuniting on a multiyear deal. SNY’s Andy Martino first broadcast the two-year-plus-one-club option frame. YES Network’s Jack Curry was first in dollars. Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.
