Cubs legend Anthony Rizzo announces retirement after 14-year career
One of the most iconic players to don a Cubs uniform is hanging up his cleats.
Anthony Rizzo, a 14-year MLB veteran who spent 10 seasons with the Cubs, announced his retirement from baseball on Wednesday morning.
He will retire a Cub and will be honored at Wrigley Field on Saturday. Rizzo will also become a team ambassador for the Cubs organization.
“Anthony Rizzo was the face of one of the most successful eras in Chicago Cubs history and we are so excited he will be a part of our organization for many years to come,” said Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts said in a statement issued by the team. “His play on the field spoke for itself and was recognized with multiple All-Star appearances, Gold Glove Awards, the Roberto Clemente Award and, ultimately, being a team leader on the 2016 World Series championship team. Who could forget Anthony catching Kris Bryant’s throw from third base for the final out that clinched the series?
“In addition, he was an inspiration to so many off the field through his foundation and his work with cancer research. Anthony’s professional career on the field might be complete, but it will be great to share this next chapter with him here with the Cubs. On behalf of the Cubs organization, we all congratulate Anthony for a memorable and successful playing career. We know the best is yet to come for him, his wife, Emily, and their family. We look forward to their rejoining our Cubs family as we create new memories for fans.”
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Rizzo, 36, was the starting first baseman for the Cubs when they won the 2016 World Series, snapping the franchise’s 108-year title drought, the longest in American sports at the time.
In his 10 seasons on the North Side, Rizzo became a franchise icon, being named to three All-Star teams, winning four Gold Gloves, a Platinum Glove, a Silver Slugger award and the prestigious Roberto Clemente Award. He hit .272/.372/.489 (.861 OPS) with 242 home runs and 784 RBI in 1,308 games with Chicago.
Rizzo was acquired by the Cubs from the San Diego Padres in January 2012, with the Cubs sending right-hander Andrew Cashner and outfielder Kyung-Min Na out West. Rizzo started his tenure in the organization in Triple-A but was called up in late June and never looked back.
[From September 2024: Anthony Rizzo makes his emotional return to Wrigley Field]
He hit 15 home runs and drove in 48 RBI while hitting .285 with an .805 OPS in 87 games in 2012, and was named the July Rookie of the Month on a team that lost 101 games. That was the first year in charge for president of baseball operations Theo Epstein and general manager Jed Hoyer, as the team began its years-long rebuild that ultimately culminated in the 2016 World Series.
Rizzo was the first sprout for the new regime, and he saw it all in his time with Chicago. He was the only member of the 2012 team who was on the World Series-winning team four years later.
The first baseman regressed a bit at the plate in 2013, posting a .742 OPS and hitting .233, but showed power, hitting 23 home runs and 40 doubles.
But as he ascended at the plate, so did his team. He posted a 5.6 bWAR season in 2014, hitting 32 home runs, driving in 78 runs and posting a .286/.386/.527 (.913 OPS) slash line in his first of three-straight All-Star seasons. The Cubs finished the final two months going 28-27, lending some cautious optimism heading into the winter.
That offseason, Rizzo signed a seven-year, $41 million contract with two club options, anchoring him to the franchise during arguably its greatest stretch ever.
It began with one of the most exciting years in the franchise’s history in 2015. Epstein and Hoyer signed Joe Maddon as the team’s manager in the winter and added left-hander Jon Lester in free agency. Those additions coincided with the emergence of top prospects like Kris Bryant, Javy Báez and Kyle Schwarber.
The team surprised many, winning 97 games and making an improbable run to the NLCS. Rizzo was a cornerstone on that team, hitting 31 home runs with 101 RBI and posting an .899 OPS while finishing fourth in NL MVP voting.
That set the stage for the magical 2016 season.
Rizzo had a career year, hitting .292 with 32 home runs, 109 RBI, a .544 slugging percentage and a .928 OPS – all were the best or tied for the best mark in his 14 seasons. He was an All-Star again and won both the Gold Glove and Platinum Glove as the game’s best overall defender while picking up the Silver Slugger award.
His most memorable moment, though, came during the playoffs. Cubs fans will always remember where they were when he caught the final out of the 2016 World Series from Bryant to snap the franchise’s title drought.
In 17 games that postseason, Rizzo hit .277 with three home runs, 10 RBI and an .866 OPS.
The first baseman hit .282 with 84 home runs and 304 RBI across the next three seasons, leading the Cubs to the NLCS in 2017 and the Wild Card Game in 2018. He hit 11 home runs with a .755 OPS in the shortened 2020 season as the Cubs fell in the Wild Card round to the Miami Marlins.
Rizzo and the Cubs entered 2021 with uncertainty. It was the last year of his contract and was the final year of club control for two other core members of the 2016 team – Bryant and Báez. Things started well; Rizzo had arguably the most memorable moment of that season. He ended a 14-pitch at-bat against St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Daniel Ponce de Leon with a home run to right field in the first game with full capacity at Wrigley Field following COVID-19 pandemic restrictions.
On June 24, he played first base as the Cubs no-hit the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium and moved to 42-33. But the Cubs went on to lose 11 straight, leading to a trade deadline sell-off that saw Rizzo, Bryant and Báez all depart – along with others – in the span of 24 hours.
Rizzo did not play in the final game at Wrigley Field before the deadline on July 29 and was traded to the New York Yankees after the game, just before the team jetted off for Washington D.C. for a road trip.
He played in parts of four seasons in New York, returning to the World Series last season.
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But injuries hampered his final three years. He played in 130 games in 2022, then 99 in 2023 and 92 last season. He made his first trip back to Wrigley Field since being traded last season, receiving a thunderous ovation from the fans.
Rizzo became a fan favorite in Chicago not just for his on-field exploits, but for his actions off it, too.
He founded the Anthony Rizzo Family Foundation in 2012 to help families battling cancer and raises money for cancer research. Rizzo was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma in 2008. His actions garnered him the 2017 Roberto Clemente Award, given annually to the player who “best exemplifies the game of baseball, sportsmanship, community involvement, and the individual’s contribution to his team.” Rizzo routinely had children from Lurie’s Children Hospital at Wrigley Field, including in his return to the Friendly Confines in 2024.
Rizzo began his professional career as a member of the Boston Red Sox when he was drafted in the sixth round by a front office headed by Epstein and Hoyer. He was traded to the Padres – alongside Casey Kelly, Reymond Fuentes and Eric Patterson – in 2010 in a blockbuster deal that sent Adrián González to Boston. Hoyer was San Diego’s general manager at the time.
He went unsigned last winter in free agency and was not picked up during the season before announcing his retirement on Wednesday.
