Latest Anthony Rizzo contract update is good news for Cubs fans
By Josh Hill
It sounds like the Chicago Cubs and Anthony Rizzo might be able to strike a deal before the season starts.
With less than a week until Opening Day, Chicago Cubs fans are actively wondering what sort of future they’re stepping into.
After an offseason of trade rumors, most of the World Series core is still intact. Neither Javier Baez nor Kris Bryant were traded, and while the team lost Kyle Schwarber and Jon Lester to free agency — coincidentally both to the Nationals — the offseason didn’t involve much change.
Now the question is will that end up being for better or worse?
More long term, Cubs fans are wondering of this was merely a stay of execution and the offseason of change is still on the horizon? One domino that could help lead to some answers seems about to fall.
According to MLB insider Jon Heyman, the Cubs and Anthony Rizzo have had extension talks and progress is being made.
“Cubs are trying to extend star first baseman Anthony Rizzo and have made him an offer,” Heyman reported on Friday night. “Last word heard is that there’s still a gap. But there’s nearly a week to go before season starts.”
Of all the Cubs who were rumored to be on their way out this offseason, none stung more than Rizzo. He’s the face of the franchise, and has been since he arrived in Chicago back in 2012. Losing Rizzo to either free agency or in a trade would transparently signal a rebuild but would also be the true end of an era for Cubs fans.
It’s an era that saw the team win its first World Series in over a century, and one that still has more hope than most are willing to give it credit. Thanks to these extension talks, it also sounds like an era that isn’t quite yet over.