If you’re looking for a Friday afternoon boost to the mood, these quotes from Anthony Rizzo today might do it for you.
The Cubs’ long-time first baseman, a free agent after this season, has made no secret that he wants to remain with the team. And, in turn, I have zero doubt the Cubs want to lock him up for years to come. So, here in Spring Training, you’d expect extension talks to be as serious as they’ve ever been.
Progress on t🌟hat front? Sure sounds like it (): “I’m very optimistic,” Rizzo said of extension negotiations, which apparently began even before Spring Training. “We’ve had really good conversations top to bottoꦿm.”
Rizzo doesn’t want to worry about extension negotiations once the season starts, so you can look at the next two+ weeks as the Cubs’ chance to get something done. “Right now it’s our agents and [wife] Emily and I having great conversations about everything that’s going on,” . “It’s all good. It’s all positive. I feel really good. But once April 1 comes, it’s all about baseball.”
Rizzo, 31, is coming off his first really down season in his career, but we all know how much stock we can and cannot put in 2020 (plus, as Bryan explored, it was extra flukey for Rizzo). Even as a guy who has dealt with back issues before, Rizzo rarely misses much time, and he’s got a highly-disciplined skill set offensively that can age fairly well. Fan service or not, it seems like a good idea to keep Rizzo around at least a few more years and then see what’s what in the mid-2020s after the Cubs have won a few more championships …
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