Multiple Teams Listed as Potential Candidates for New York Yankees Former Slugger

The New York Yankees have got off to an excellent start offensively this season, and a big reason why is because of the upgrades they made to their lineup in the offseason.

This winter, the Yankees saw a lot of changes to a roster that made the World Series last year. However, a lot of those changes appear to be positive, especially the one at first base.

For the last couple of campaigns, New York wasn’t getting near the production that they needed from first base, which resulted in them signing veteran and former National League MVP Paul Goldschmidt.

The right-handed slugger is off to a great start and has done an excellent job replacing former first baseman Anthony Rizzo.

Despite some early success with the Yankees, injuries impacted the former slugger's performance in recent years, and it was time for New York to move on. However, Rizzo is still a free agent, which is somewhat surprising after being a starter for the Yankees in 2024.

Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report recently wrote about a couple of potential candidates for the slugger, being the Colorado Rockies, Detroit Tigers and Miami Marlins.

“It's been a while since Anthony Rizzo was the annual MVP candidate that he was in the mid-2010s, but it has only been a few months since the New York Yankees started him at first base in all but one of their final 10 postseason games,” Miller wrote.

After being the starting first baseman on a team that was in the World Series last season, it is surprising that Rizzo is still on the market. However, he has been paid very well the last several years, and now his market isn't going to be anywhere near the $16 million he made last year.

However, if a price tag can be agreed upon, the former All-Star could make sense for a lot of teams.

At this stage in his career, Rizzo would likely want to win, but perhaps going to a non-contender might be the first step in him proving that he can still be a valuable piece of the franchise.

While injuries really derailed his career with New York, he wasn’t overly effective when healthy either.

In 2024, he slashed .228/.301/.335 with eight home runs and 35 RBI in 92 games.

Of the teams listed, getting playing time with the Rockies or Marlins would be much easier than with the Tigers. Detroit suddenly has a strong option at first base in Spencer Torkelson, but as a team that is hoping to make a lengthy postseason run, a veteran like Rizzo could still make sense.

Overall, while it is surprising that he is still available, it likely all comes down to the price tag and the opportunity. As the campaign rolls on, it will be interesting to see if the veteran slugger lands anywhere.