Anthony Rizzo contract details: Yankees keep slugger in New York

Anthony Rizzo was set to be one of the hottest first basemen available in MLB free agency but the Yankees have taken him off the market.

While so much attention has been paid to what will happen with the New York Yankees and Aaron Judge this offseason, general manager Brian Cashman has much more on his plate than that. And apparently the first order of business was taking care of first baseman Anthony Rizzo, who the team acquired at the 2021 trade deadline from the Cubs.

Rizzo was handed a $19.65 million qualifying offer from New York but turned it down, leading some to believe that he might be pursuing other options. That notion was quickly nipped in the bud on Tuesday, however.

As reported first by Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, Rizzo is returning to the Yankees on a multi-year contract.

That’s one key piece retained, but how much is the club giving to Rizzo to bring him back?

Anthony Rizzo contract details: Yankees bring back 1B on multi-year deal

Jack Curry of the YES Network had the details of the contract first, reporting that Rizzo is coming back to the Yankees on a two-year, $34 million contract.

Curry also notes that there is a club option for a third year at the same AAV of $17 million on this contract with the buyout being a meager $6 million.

All told, this is a strong deal for New York. Rizzo’s success in the 2022 season was overshadowed by Judge’s home run exploits but the first baseman had a phenomenal year and clearly enjoyed playing his home games in the Bronx. Getting him on a reasonable short-term deal is a strong move for Cashman.

With reports that the Houston Astros were also planning to be in hot pursuit of Rizzo on the market, this is also a doubly big win for New York as the Yankees are keeping a terrific veteran power bat off of the roster of the World Series champions.