Anthony Rizzo Stays With Yankees – Signs $40 Million Contract

Aaron Judge remains a free agent, but the Yankees made their first strike of the offseason Tuesday, keeping Anthony Rizzo in The Bronx.

The Yankees brought back the 33-year-old Rizzo on a two-year, $34 million deal with a $17 million club option in the third year that includes a $6 million buyout.

After hitting 32 homers in his first full season as a Yankee, Rizzo opted out of the second year of the two-year, $32 million deal he signed during the spring and rejected the team’s qualifying offer worth $19.65 million.

He’ll get a raise and an extra year, as the Yankees try to keep Rizzo and Judge together after the duo helped lead their lineup.

There was outside interest in Rizzo — The Athletic reported he was a main target of the Astros — but the Yankees didn’t take long to make their move.

Before the signing was announced, managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner expressed the team’s desire to retain Rizzo, who was acquired at the 2021 trade deadline.

And Steinbrenner added he couldn’t wait for Judge to decide to make other significant moves to the roster.

“Am I going to make moves before we’re able to, in my opinion, sign Aaron?” Steinbrenner said. “Yeah, that’s not going to stop me from signing other people. We’ve got to make the moves. It’s all about who’s going to come off the board. Some guys are going to come off the board sooner than others, and if it’s somebody we feel we need, then I’ve got to make the decision to continue to improve the club and not just hold back until we figure out Aaron.”

Having led the Cubs to the 2016 World Series title, Rizzo is the only current Yankee to have won a championship and the Yankees valued that experience.

Although Rizzo hit well throughout the season, tying a career-high in home runs and finishing with his best OPS (.817) since 2019, he was sidelined by lower-back tightness on several occasions in the second half — including a stint on the 10-day IL in September after he suffered headaches following an epidural.

But he remained the second-best hitter in the lineup, behind only Judge.

And while Judge struggled in the playoffs, Rizzo (with a .964 OPS) joined Harrison Bader (1.262) as the only Yankees to hit consistently in the postseason.

Among the other holes the Yankees have to fill — besides Judge in right field — is left field, as Andrew Benintendi is a free agent, Aaron Hicks lost his job and has three years and $30 million remaining on his deal and Oswaldo Cabrera has little experience.

Steinbrenner, speaking Tuesday at the owners meetings at MLB headquarters in Midtown, said the team would also look to improve the bullpen, because key relievers from last year, like Chad Green (now a free agent) and Scott Effross are not options, and Michael King may miss time due to elbow issues.