The Houston Astros are said to be looking for a strong first baseman in free agency this offseason, and Anthony Rizzo ranks among the top options for them. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic claims that the Astros are interested in three free-agent first-basemen and the Yankees may lose him to their AL West rivals.
According to Rosenthal, the Astros are looking at Anthony Rizzo, Yuli Gurriel, and José Abreu as potential options. However, the Yankees’ first baseman is at the top of their list of selected players. He wrote:
“The Astros have identified Anthony Rizzo as their No. 1 free-agent target at first base. They also are considering Yuli Gurriel and José Abreu, but signing Rizzo would serve the dual purpose of bolstering their own roster while weakening the Yankees’.”
During the four ALCS games that they emerged victorious against the Yankees, the Astros got a good look at Anthony Rizzo. He had trouble at the plate the whole series, like most of New York’s batters. Rizzo went 3-for-12 with a home run and four runs batted in. But in the playoffs, he led the Yankees with eight RBI and an on-base percentage of .432.
Anthony Rizzo opted out of his contract for a second year with the Yankees, but general manager Brian Cashman gave him the qualifying offer of $19.65 million. But most people think that Rizzo will turn down that offer and look for a long-term contract with more money.
Since he just made $16 million last season, the Yankees will probably have to pay him a lot more. The 33-year-old hit .224 and got on base 33.8% of the time. He hit 32 home runs and drove 75 runs. He was one of the few Yankees to do well in the playoffs, hitting .276 with a 43% on-base percentage, two home runs, and eight RBIs in nine games.
Anthony Rizzo had a good regular season in which he made 130 appearances and hit .224/.338/.480 with 32 home runs and 75 RBI. The 33-year-old is also one of the best fielders in his position. He is a finalist for the American League’s Gold Glove Award. He has already put up four Gold Gloves and one Platinum Glove.
Even though adding Rizzo would help the World Series champions a lot, it would be strange to see him join a rival team after losing the playoffs to the Astros. If Houston isn’t able to get Anthony Rizzo, either Abreu or Gurriel would be good alternatives. Abreu, who will be the AL MVP in 2020, hit well for the Chicago White Sox, but his power dropped a lot. Gurriel has spent all seven years of his Major League Baseball career in Houston, so keeping him would keep the team’s core together. But he just finished a bad year in which he hit.
What do you think? Will Anthony Rizzo join the Astros? Leave a comment below.
