Chicago Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo is not budging from the contract extension deadline he set earlier this spring for opening day.
Rizzo reiterated that stance Monday, the team’s last day of camp in Mesa, Ariz., as his optimism weeks earlier turned into doubt. While there have been talks between Rizzo’s side and the Cubs, he said that it doesn’t appear a new contract will be finalized before the start of the season. Rizzo told his agents not to talk to him about the contract situation anymore.
“With the opening day deadline, we feel really strong about it,” Rizzo said. ”And we’ve had enough time to talk and try to figure it out. But I think once the season starts, for me personally, it’s focused on baseball, and if my mind isn’t 100% on baseball and it’s elsewhere, it’s hard enough to play.
“It was good just to have clarity one way or the other and now I can get ready for the season.”
As for whether he’s disappointed by the team’s offer or where things stand in negotiations, Rizzo stated it’s part of the business. He again expressed his love for Chicago, Cubs fans, Wrigley Field and what it means to be a Cub.
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“I’m at peace with it,” Rizzo said.
Rizzo skirted around answering if he believes this is his final season with the Cubs instead noting that, contractually, yes, it’s his last year.
“I can’t tell you what the future holds.”
In May 2013, Rizzo signed a seven-year, $41 million contract with $14.5 million club option for 2020 and 2021. Now that Rizzo is on course to reach free agency for the first time in his career, his offensive numbers might be scrutinized more closely. He’s not worried about potentially getting off to a slow start in April or May, stating “that’s the beauty of a track record.”
Rizzo expects that after a full 162-game season, his body of work will be at his career norms, if not better. Through 10 big-league seasons, he has a career .271 average, .372 on-base percentage, .857 OPS, 229 home runs, 268 doubles and a 129 OPS+.
“The talks were really good, and obviously, it just didn’t work out for whatever reason,” he said. “That’s out of my hands. But it’s just to the point now where my camp’s focused on playing baseball.”
If Rizzo ultimately reaches free agency, it wouldn’t necessarily preclude him from reuniting with the Cubs in the offseason. Players have tested the market before re-signing with their previous team. It happened this past offseason when Philadelphia Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto became a free agent and then signed a five-year, $115.5 million contract with the organization in late January.
Rizzo has been with two other organizations during his professional career, so the idea of joining a new team isn’t a foreign concept, though it’s not something he’s thinking about right now. The Boston Red Sox selected him in the sixth round of the 2007 draft before trading him to the San Diego Padres in Dec. 2010. Two years later, and after only 49 big-league games with the franchise, the Padres traded Rizzo to the Cubs.
One aspect that stands out to Rizzo, however, is how Jon Lester — his mentor and one of his best friends — established a legacy with both the Cubs and Red Sox during his career, which is entering its 15th season.
“It’s been an amazing ride and I don’t think it’s over yet,” Rizzo said. “But it’s just part of the business. This is business and you need to separate it because every good business person will tell you there’s no friendships really in business. ... From the Anthony Rizzo business standpoint, it’s just take steps back and realize what’s going on. But from a player and from a human-being standpoint, obviously I’ve expressed my love and desire for the city.”
The Cubs are three days away from entering the season without any of their three impending All-Star free agents — Rizzo, Kris Bryant and Javier Baez — reaching a contract extension with the team. Rizzo always seemed to be the most likely among the trio that would be locked up this spring. He’s been the face of the franchise for the past decade, through a challenging rebuild and World Series title in 2016.
Rizzo’s Cubs future is at a crossroad.
“I mean, I think everyone knows where I stand here,” Rizzo said. “And obviously, it’s not in my hands now.”
