NEW YORK — Anthony Rizzo is staying with the New York Yankees, agreeing Tuesday to a $40 million, two-year contract.
Rizzo gets $17 million in each of the next two seasons, and the deal for the first baseman includes a $20 million team option for 2025 with a $6 million buyout. Rizzo had opted out of his previous contract with New York, giving up a $16 million salary for 2023.
Rizzo gets a limited no-trade provision, allowing him to list six teams annually he cannot be dealt to without approval.
Since joining the Yankees at the 2021 trade deadline, Rizzo had provided needed left-handed power for New York and has taken advantage of the right field short porch at Yankee Stadium.
Now 33, Rizzo hit .224 with 75 RBI and had 32 home runs for the fourth time in his career. While the Yankees led the major leagues with 254 home runs, just 77 were by left-handed batters.
His agreement is the first major offseason move for the Yankees.
• Owner Hal Steinbrenner held a one-on-one meeting with Aaron Judge to make sure the star free-agent slugger knows how much New York wants him back.
“I do believe he wants to be a Yankee. I think we’ve got a good thing going here,” Steinbrenner said during a 30-minute question-and-answer session with reporters at the Major League Baseball owners meeting.
Judge turned down an offer from the Yankees ahead of Opening Day that would have been worth $213.5 million from 2023-29. Steinbrenner said he approved GM Brian Cashman making the offer public since he thought it would leak out.
Steinbrenner says other commitments wouldn’t restrain the Yankees in talks with Judge.
“We know where we’re at, and I can tell you that that’s not going to stop us,” he said.
Judge set an American League record with 62 homers and tied for the major league lead with 131 RBI. The likely AL MVP, he has said his preference is to remain with the Yankees.
Steinbrenner met alone with Judge and was involved in two or three other meetings with the right fielder that included others.
“I wanted him to know how I felt in case there was any – what’s the word I’m looking for? – in case there was, any lack of clarity on his part – ambiguity,” Steinbrenner said.
Judge could become Yankees captain if he stays in the Bronx. Steinbrenner said he envisions Judge as another in a line of Yankees all-time greats, such as Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra and Derek Jeter.
“People gravitate toward him. The young players gravitate toward him. And, obviously, our fans, very important to our fans, the fan base, and very important to my family and the organization,” Steinbrenner said. “So I’ve absolutely conveyed that I want him to be the Yankee for the rest of his life. No doubt about that. He knows that. The rest is up to him and his family and where they where they want to go from here. But we’re going to do what we can, I can assure you.”
While there is no set timetable for talks, other negotiations will have an impact.
“I’m not going to be in a position and can’t be in a position to see players start to come off the board, trades start to being made,” Steinbrenner said. “And he understands that.”
ASTROS: Reliever Rafael Montero finalized a $34.5 million, three-year contract to remain with the World Series champion Houston Astros, a deal that could be worth $36.75 million over three seasons.
The 32-year-old right-hander gets $11.5 million in each of the next three seasons.
He can earn $500,000 annually in performance bonuses for games: $100,000 each for 50, 55, 60, 65 and 70 games.
Montero also would get a $250,000 bonus in any season he has 30 games finished.
He would get $50,000 for making the All-Star team, $100,000 for Rivera-Hoffman reliever of the year and $65,000 for finishing second or third for the reliever award.
Montero had a career-low 2.37 ERA, going 5-2 with 14 saves, 73 strikeouts in 68 [1/3] innings and a 1.02 WHIP in a career-high 71 games. He was acquired from Seattle before the 2021 trade deadline and is 18-23 with a 4.64 ERA and 29 saves for the New York Mets (2014-17), Texas (2019-20), Seattle (2021) and Houston.
ROYALS: The Royals and first baseman Ryan O’Hearn agreed to a $1.4 million contract to avoid salary arbitration as part of a flurry of moves that set the club’s 40-man roster ahead of the deadline to protect players from the Rule 5 draft.
The Royals selected the contracts of right-hander Alec Marsh, catcher Freddy Fermin and outfielder Diego Hernandez to protect them from the draft. Marsh was just 2-16 with a 6.88 ERA at Double-A and Triple-A last season, while Fermin hit .270 in 87 games at Triple-A and Hernandez batted .287 at Class-A and Double-A.
The Royals designated left-hander Jake Brentz, right-hander Nate Webb and outfielder Brent Rooker for assignment.
RAYS-CUBS: The Tampa Bay Rays traded infielder-outfielder Miles Mastrobuoni to the Chicago Cubs for minor league right-hander Alfredo Zarraga.
RAYS: Left-hander Ryan Yarbrough was designated for assignment in a series of moves by the Tampa Bay Rays.
Yarbrough went 3-8 with a 4.50 ERA in 20 games, including nine starts, in 2022. His production has decreased since going a combined 27-12 over his first two seasons in 2018-19. He went 40-31 with a 4.33 ERA in 127 games in five years with the Rays.
Reliever JT Chargois and minor league infielder Xavier Edwards were dealt to the Miami Marlins for minor league right-handers Marcus Johnson and Santiago Suarez.
Chargois was limited to 21 games this year due to an oblique injury. The righty was 2-0 with a 2.42 ERA.
Minor league infielder Brett Wisely was sent to the San Francisco Giants for minor league outfielder Tristan Peters.
Infielders Osleivis Basabe, Greg Jones and Curtis Mead, and right-handers Taj Bradley and Colby White were selected to the 40-man roster.
Bradley, 21, split 2022 between Double-A Montgomery and Triple-A Durham. He was named the Southern League Pitcher of the Year in voting by league managers, and was the starting pitcher for the AL Team in the All-Star Futures Game.
Righty Javy Guerra and first baseman-outfielder Bligh Madris were designated for assignment.
QUALIFYING OFFERS: Outfielder Joc Pederson and left-hander Martin Perez were the only players to accept $19.65 million qualifying offers from their former teams and end their free agency.
Pederson decided to stay with the San Francisco Giants and Perez with the Texas Rangers.
GUARDIANS: The Cleveland Guardians acquired right-hander Ross Carver in a trade with Arizona, dealt former top infield prospect Nolan Jones to Colorado and added several players to their 40-man roster ahead of baseball’s deadline prior to the Rule 5 draft.
The AL Central champions sent Jones to the Rockies for infielder Juan Brito.
For Carver, the Guardians dealt reliever Carlos Vargas to the Diamondbacks. The 23-year-old Carver pitched at High-A Hillsboro and Double-A Amarillo last season. He went 2-5 with a 5.06 ERA in 24 appearances.
The Guardians also designated left-handers Anthony Gose and Kirk McCarty for assignment to make roster room.
To protect them from being selected in next month’s Rule 5 draft at the winter meetings, the Guardians added infielder Angel Martinez and left-handers Tim Herrin and Joey Cantillo to the 40-man roster.
Martinez is the son of former major league catcher Sandy Martinez.
The switch-hitting Brito spent last season at High-A Fresno, batting .286 with 11 home runs and 72 RBI in 107 games.
Jones batted .244 in 28 games last season for the Guardians, who had baseball’s youngest team.
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