New York Yankees free agent Anthony Rizzo understands that he very well could be forced into retirement this spring.
The veteran first baseman had his $17 million club option declined by the Yankees at the end of last season. While the 35-year-old earned a cool $6 million buyout sum from the move, it left him without a baseball home for next season.
On Friday, Rizzo spoke to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal and Brendan Kuty about not getting signed as spring training gets underway. When asked about the possibility of retirement, Rizzo felt he still had some game left in him. But the 3-time All-Star understood that he may no longer get the call he’s hoping for.
“I’ve definitely thought about it,” said the former Yankees star on retirement. “I think I have a lot to give to the game still. 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 has struggled to stay on the field due to injuries over the past two years. He has failed to play in over 100 games in each of those seasons.
The injuries have affected Rizzo’s effectiveness at the plate as well. Last season, hit .228 with 8 home runs, 35 RBIs, and an OPS of .673 for the Yankees — all career lows since his 49-game rookie campaign. Rizzo is over a decade removed from his prime years with the Chicago Cubs, when he was a perennial NL MVP candidate
The Yankees opted to sign a former NL MVP winner to take Rizzo’s place.
