Former Chicago Cubs World Champion Surprisingly Still Without Team as Spring Training Begins

Anthony Rizzo, a former All-Star and World Series champion with the Cubs, is still looking for work.

Chicago Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo (44) looks on from the dugout during the game against Cincinnati Reds at Wrigley Field in 2021. / Matt Marton-Imagn Images

Spring training camps open up this week around baseball and former Chicago Cubs star Anthony Rizzo is surprisingly without a team still.

Rizzo, 35, is coming off a down year with the New York Yankees in which he hit .228 with eight homers and 35 RBI, but it's still shocking to see him not even a garner a minor league deal yet. A four-time Gold Glover, a Platinum Glove winner, a Silver Slugger, and a three-time All-Star, Rizzo has one of the best resumes around. Furthermore, he's a World Series champion (2016), who knows how to win and provides solid veteran leadership. That's valuable in clubhouses today.

At this point, it seems like Rizzo's best bet may be to wait a little bit into spring training and see if an injury pops up that necessitates a team making a move.

A 14-year veteran of the San Diego Padres, Cubs and Yankees, Rizzo is a lifetime .261 hitter with 303 homers and 965 RBI. His best years were all with the Cubs, as he had seven seasons with 20 homers or more and four seasons of 30 or more. He also brought in 100 runs or more four different times with the Cubbies, pairing with Kris Bryant and Javy Baez to make a golden age of Cubs baseball.

The team broke the World Series drought in 2016 with a series win over the Cleveland Indians (now Guardians).

Rizzo was traded to the Yankees in 2021 in a deal involving a pair of prospects.

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