The Chicago Cubs have three major players to re-sign this season before the 2022 campaign or they'll become free agents. It'll be challenging for the Cubs to retain Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant and Javier Baez, and it appears one of those players could almost certainly be headed for free agency.
According to The Athletic's Patrick Mooney, Rizzo confirmed Monday that extension talks between himself and the Cubs have stalled and there likely will be no pre-Opening Day deal for the first baseman.
Anthony Rizzo confirms that contract talks with the Cubs have stalled to the point where there will likely be no pre-Opening Day extension, increasing the odds that he will play out the final season of his deal and test the free-agent market.
— Patrick Mooney (@PJ_Mooney) March 29, 2021
Rizzo is entering the final year of the seven-year, $41 million deal he signed in May 2013. He's set to earn $16.5 million in 2021.
The 31-year-old has spent nine of his 10 seasons in Major League Baseball with the Cubs after one season with the San Diego Padres. He helped Chicago capture a World Series title in 2016 and finished fourth in MVP voting that year.
Rizzo is averaging .271/.372/.485 in nine seasons with the Cubs. He is a three-time All-Star, four-time Gold Glove winner, as well as a Silver Slugger and Platinum Glove winner.
The Florida native is a top-10 first baseman in the league. If he doesn't work out an extension with the Cubs, he'll have no shortage of suitors in free agency.
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