Former Padres First Baseman Involved in 2 Big Trades Could Be Forced to Retire

Back in 2011, a first baseman by the name of Anthony Rizzo made his major league debut with the San Diego Padres.

Fast forward to Sunday and Rizzo is contemplating retirement.

With spring training underway across Major League Baseball, it's getting harder for the free agent to be optimistic about latching on somewhere.

However, the 35-year-old wants to play and he insists he's healthy enough for a team to sign him but he also knows that the end is near.

“I’ve definitely thought about it. I think I have a lot to give to the game still,” Rizzo told The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal and Brandan Kuty in a phone interview.

“But at the same time, if teams are not going to want to pay a few million dollars for veterans, I’ve seen it the last 10 years of my career. It’s what happens to the older guys. They kind of get squeezed. You’ve seen it happen more and more. I’m not naive to it. It could be it.”

Why is the former World Series champion still a free agent?

It could be because of an injury-marred 2024 with the New York Yankees or it could be because he isn't willing to sign for the league minimum.

“Two years ago, I had kind of a weird year with the concussion,” Rizzo said. “Then last year, I was hurt twice. My power numbers dropped. I’m surprised, but not like crazy surprised just because I’m a realist in the game and you’re getting older. The fact that teams want you to play for basically league minimum ($760,000), I’m like, you guys are crazy. You’re almost trying to ruin the market for the next guy.”

The four-time Gold Glove winner played just 99 and 92 games in the past two seasons due to injuries, leading the Yankees to decline his $17 million option for 2025.

So, Rizzo is training while he waits for someone to sign him.

“I want to play. I want to win," he said. "And I love talking the game with pitchers, with hitters. There’s so much to dive into. Everything that goes into it, on the field, off the field, I’ll still be talking about it with guys. We’ll just see if I continue playing.”

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