Astros Targeting Yankees Free Agent 1B Anthony Rizzo

Anthony Rizzo is coming off his first full season with the New York Yankees. Could the rival Houston Astros pry him away in free agency?

The Yankees have stated their desire to re-sign Anthony Rizzo this offseason, but one of their biggest rivals could get in the way.

The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reported that the world-champion Astros view Rizzo as their top free agent target at first base. Rosenthal added that Houston is also considering longtime White Sox first baseman José Abreu and re-signing Yuli Gurriel, who has been with the Astros since 2016.

Rizzo, however, would give Houston an elite defender, a left-handed batter who will no longer be burdened by the shift, and another opportunity to stick it to the Yankees, whom the Astros just swept in yet another American League Championship Series showdown. New York recently made a one-year, $19.65 million qualifying offer to Rizzo after he opted out of a deal that would have paid him $16 million next year.

Tuesday is the deadline to accept or reject qualifying offers.

The qualifying offer could give Rizzo a higher 2023 salary than a long-term deal might, but it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the 33-year-old pursue a deal with more security. Rizzo tied his career-high with 32 home runs this past season, his first full campaign with New York, while adding a .224/.338/.480 slash line and 75 RBI. Like Yankee Stadium, Houston’s Minute Maid Park offers a short right field fence for the former Cub to take advantage of.

If Rizzo were to accept New York’s qualifying offer, he could spend another season in the hitter-friendly and familiar confines of the Bronx before re-entering the market without the strings attached to a qualifying offer. Players cannot receive qualifying offers twice.

Of course, the Yankees can always try to keep Rizzo on a multi-year deal if he rejects the qualifying offer.

“We’d love to sign Anthony Rizzo back if possible,” Yankees general manager Brian Cashman recently said, per MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch. “We’ll stay in touch with him as well as the rest of the marketplace. We clearly have a vacancy now at first base. The preference would be to retain the player we know and like. Ultimately, you have to explore all options, trade vs. free agency.”