The Yankees are officially in the market for a first baseman, as the team announced Saturday they have declined Anthony Rizzo’s $17 million team option for 2025.
They will, instead, pay Rizzo a $6 million buyout, making his last deal a two-year, $40 million pact.
Rizzo, now 35, signed a two-year, $34 million deal with that option prior to 2023, coming off a 2022 where he hit .224 with 32 home runs and 75 RBI in 130 games. However, after slashing .304/.376/.506 with 11 homers and 32 RBI in 58 games through the end of May, he slumped badly following a collision at first base with Fernando Tatis that caused a concussion.
Rizzo was shut down in early-August after hitting just .173 in June and .167 in July, and he missed the rest of the year with post-concussion syndrome. He returned, presumably healthy, in 2024, but slashed just .228/.301/.335 with eight homers and 35 RBI in 92 games, missing time with a fractured forearm.
He also suffered two fractured fingers in the final weekend of the regular season and missed the ALDS, but he hit .429 in the ALCS before slumping to go 2-for-16 in the World Series.
The Yankees also reportedly lost Gerrit Cole (for now) on Saturday, with the righty apparently exercising the out clause in his contract, meaning the two players behind one of the more controversial plays in Game 5 are no longer on the roster.
Other than Rizzo, Ben Rice (41), DJ LeMahieu (21), Oswaldo Cabrera (5), and J.D. Davis (4) made appearances at first base this season, while Cabrera and Jon Berti made starts there in the postseason.
Christian Walker, who hit .251 with 26 homers in 150 games for Arizona last season, and Mets star Pete Alonso are the top first base options on the free agent market.