Yankees decline 2025 option on first baseman Anthony Rizzo after World Series loss

Fresh off a World Series loss, the New York Yankees are starting to make offseason moves. The team announced on Saturday that it has rejected the 2025 option of first baseman Anthony Rizzo.

The 35-year-old infielder signed a two-year, $34 million contract with the Yankees in 2022, with a $17 million option for 2025 or a $6 million buyout included in that deal. By declining the option, Rizzo now becomes a free agent.

Rizzo was involved in the fifth-inning blunder that gave the Yankees a five-run lead in Game 5. A miscommunication between Rizzo and pitcher Gerrit Cole allowed Tommy Edman to run in for a run, marking the third straight error of that inning.

Rizzo missed the AL Divisional Series against the Kansas City Royals after breaking two fingers in the penultimate game of the season. He returned to the lineup for the AL Championship Series and recorded eight hits in the postseason and eight strikeouts.

Throughout the season, he hit .228 with eight home runs and 35 RBIs in 92 games.

Rizzo’s past two seasons have been hampered by injuries: the first baseman missed 62 games after breaking his right forearm following a collision with a pitcher, and missed the final few months of the 2023 season with complications from a concussion.

Rizzo’s release marks the start of what will likely be a busy offseason for the Yankees after the World Series disappointment. The team already exercised an option on reliever Luke Weaver on Friday, but still has several other key players in the air. The Yankees have yet to decide whether to exercise pitcher Lou Trivino’s option, while Cole has the option of opting out of his mega-deal with New York.

Outfielder Juan Soto, who will be a free agent this season, has said he is “open to listening to any team” that makes him an offer, meaning the Yankees will have to woo him to get him that far get a place to stay. In addition to Soto, some key free agents include Gleyber Torres and Alex Verdugo.