Long after Game 5 of the World Series, and the Yankees’ season, had ended, Anthony Rizzo remained in pinstripes.
He did not want to take off his uniform after 3 ¹/₂ seasons in The Bronx.
If he returns, it would require a new contract.
On Saturday, the Yankees declined their 2025 club option on Rizzo, who becomes a free agent.
Anthony Rizzo will hit free agency now.Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
The Yankees essentially decided he was not worth an extra $11 million; he could have been brought back for $17 million and was bought out for $6 million.
The Yankees, whose depth includes Oswaldo Cabrera, DJ LeMahieu and Ben Rice, are now in the market for a first baseman. Among the best-hitting free agents are Pete Alonso, Christian Walker and Paul Goldschmidt.
Rizzo, 35, said he still intends to play after an injury-filled 2024 in which he finished with a .637 OPS in 92 games.
Anthony Rizzo battled through injury this year.Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
“I feel like I have a lot to offer to this game in a lot of different ways,” said Rizzo, whose first act of the offseason was to receive X-rays on the fourth and fifth fingers on his right hand and see what he was dealing with — see what, exactly, he had been playing through.
Rizzo suffered finger fractures on a hit-by-pitch on Sept. 28 and returned just over two weeks later, playing through the pain in the postseason.
Considering the circumstances, Rizzo’s .721 OPS in 10 playoff games was a nice surprise for the Yankees and perhaps will give Rizzo a better chance at convincing clubs he still has more to give.
Yet, Rizzo’s power disappeared in October and previously. His eighth and final home run of 2024 was hit on June 13.
Anthony Rizzo singles in Game 3 of the World Series.Robert Sabo for NY Post
Maybe after 14 major league seasons, three All-Star Games and four Gold Gloves, he is finished. Maybe injuries, from which he can recover, robbed him of his pop.
Before the fractured fingers was a fractured forearm suffered June 16 that sidelined him until Sept. 1.
The Yankees — and every other team — could reason that a fully healthy Rizzo can still contribute and would still be welcomed in the clubhouse.
Rizzo is particularly close with Aaron Judge, which should help his case.
Anthony Rizzo goes for a foul ball in Game 3 of the World Series.Jason Szenes / New York Post
But the odds are against a return of Rizzo, who has been popular in The Bronx since he was acquired at the 2021 trade deadline.
The Yankees likely will want more out of first base, a position at which they received a cumulative .619 OPS — easily the worst in baseball.
There are younger, more powerful options on the market.
But if the Yankees win the bidding for Juan Soto, they likely would attempt to save money elsewhere. It is possible that a smaller deal could be worked out for Rizzo, who was solid in 2021 and ’22 and now has had two seasons derailed by injury.
“I don’t know what the future holds,” Rizzo said Wednesday. “Probably talk with [GM Brian Cashman] and the Yankees and see what they’re thinking. Who knows.”
