Yankees veteran infielder hints at potential final game with team

The New York Yankees initially traded for first baseman Anthony Rizzo ahead of the 2021 trade deadline. He then signed a two-year deal before the 2023 campaign, one that also included a $17 million option with a $6 million buyout for 2025.

The Yankees have the option, so it’s unlikely they’ll decide to bring Rizzo back at a $17 million salary. He could be brought back depending on the terms, but it’s certainly not set in stone and he knows it.

When the Yankees had their backs against the wall in the World Series (they are 0-3 and the next loss will eliminate them) against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Rizzo talked about the feeling of playing what could be his last game with the team.

“Anthony Rizzo said he recognizes that “this could very well be” his last game with the Yankees. “I’m a realist. I’m not naive about it. I think it will all shake out when the time is right,” Yanks insider Bryan Hoch wrote the X in the words of the first baseman.

Rizzo knows this could be the last time he wears a Yankees uniform

Rizzo hasn’t been the same since suffering a concussion in late May 2023. In 2024, he posted a disappointing .636 OPS with just eight home runs in 337 at-bats.

While he’s been solid in the playoffs with a .926 OPS, the Yankees know he’s already declining and likely aren’t sold on the idea of ​​keeping him through 2025, at least not under a $17 million salary.

Rizzo has been a solid Yankee from the moment he landed on the team, and it would be sad to see him go if that’s the case. The offseason is long and complex, though, so he knows it’s a waiting game before he figures out where he’ll play next year.