Anthony Rizzo Raves About Time With Yankees
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Free agent first baseman Anthony Rizzo appears to be very open to re-signing with the Yankees once the lockout concludes.
Rizzo joined Ian Happ, his former Chicago Cubs teammate, on Jomboy Media’s Compound Podcast and couldn’t say enough good things about his time in the Bronx last season.
"The time in New York was great. We loved it," Rizzo said. "We lived in the Upper West Side. Lived near (Central Park). Took Kevin (his dog) to the park pretty much every day in the morning, a nice stroll through Central Park. Got to basically live in the city for two or three months and enjoy New York City for those two or three months and then playing baseball for the Yankees, it was a good time. We really enjoyed it.
"You put that uniform on for the first time, it's definitely special. ... There's only a few jerseys around this league that when you put them on, it's different, and the Yankees are definitely one of them."
The Yankees acquired Rizzo from the Cubs prior to the trade deadline and he went on to win over the hearts of the team and fanbase in the 49 games he spent with the club.
Rizzo, 32, slashed .249/.340/.428 with a .768 OPS, eight home runs and 21 RBIs in 200 plate appearances as a Yankee. His left-handed bat also helped provide balance to a right-handed heavy lineup, which was a deficiency of the Yankees’ offense in the first four months of the season.
According to Bob Klapisch of NJ Advance Media, Rizzo is “quite eager” to come back to the Yankees and his agent was in contact with the organization before the work stoppage.
However, Rizzo, who remains a free agent, went on to explain why he wasn’t in a rush to sign with a team prior to the lockout.
"It was fun getting the calls and hearing what teams had to say and why they want me and why I’m a good fit. But at the end of it, the right sort of deals didn’t come to fruition at the deadline and now you just sit and wait," he said.
The Yankees previously showed interest in trading for Oakland Athletics first baseman Matt Olson. But the A’s asking price is high and it would cost the Yankees a slew of assets to acquire him in a deal. Instead, Rizzo would be a solid fallback option and all it would take is money to bring him back.
At this point, re-signing Rizzo seems to be the most realistic avenue that the Yankees can take at first base once the transaction freeze is over. Rizzo’s family is from New Jersey and there is mutual affection between him and the team. Not to mention, he is a good fit in the clubhouse as the organization continues to hunt for their 28th World Series title in franchise history.
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