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Anthony Rizzo
Ever since the New York Yankees declined to exercise their team option on veteran first baseman Anthony Rizzo, the club has been shopping around for a player who can take over the position without losing offensive production. They may also be looking to do it while saving money. Rizzo would have been paid $17 million in 2025.
Now, according to longtime Major League Baseball insider journalist Jon Heyman, the Yankees are “considering” a move that would bring them a replacement who would cost them $14.2 million next season, while bringing a significant upgrade in production, at least in comparison to Rizzo’s struggles in 2024.
But if the Yankees actually go ahead and make the deal that they reportedly have under consideration, they would likely need to offer a contract extension to the new first baseman, one estimated to cost about $100 million over five years.
Yankees ‘Considering’ Deal for Josh Naylor
The player reportedly being looked at by the Yankees is Cleveland Guardians 27-year-old left-handed slugger Josh Naylor. Heyman offered no speculation on what sort of package the Yankees would offer to Cleveland — the team New York defeated in the 2024 American League Championship Series to get to the World Series in 2024 — in exchange for Naylor.
An earlier proposal floated by Yankees-watchers called for sending the organization’s fifth-ranked prospect Will Warren, who was picked by the Yankees in the eighth round of the 2021 draft.
Warren made his Major League debut with the Yankees in 2024, struggling through five starts and one relief outing. Warren posted a bloated 10.32 ERA, allowing 26 earned runs, including five home runs, in 22 innings pitched.
Naylor has only one year remaining on his contract, so without an extension he would be a one-year rental, which could bring the price for acquiring him down.
How does Naylor compare to Rizzo? Based on the comparative statistics offered by Stathead, the answer is — quite well. At least based on 2024 performance.
Naylor Would be a Significant Upgrade
Naylor’s Wins Above Replacement (WAR) number was 1.5, which is not exactly eye-popping, but makes him a far more valuable player than Rizzo was at a 0.2 WAR number. Naylor also recorded an OPS+ of 118 compared to just 81 for Rizzo.
OPS+ is a rating that compares a players On-base Plus Slugging (OPS) percentage to the league average. In any year, the average OPS+ is fixed at 100. Any number over 100 is better than average, and number under 100 is worse.
Though he weighs 250 pounds and stands a squat 5’11”, Naylor somehow stole six bases in 2024. Rizzo did not record a steal. Naylor has stolen 25 bases in his six-year career. Finally, Naylor slugged 31 home runs in 2024 to a mere eight for Rizzo.
The Cubs Cody Bellinger remains the Yankees’ top target, but according to Heyman the two teams still have a significant gap in what it would take to acquire the veteran.
Jonathan Vankin JONATHAN VANKIN is an award-winning journalist and writer who now covers baseball and other sports for Heavy.com. He twice won New England Press Association awards for sports feature writing. Vankin is also the author of five nonfiction books on a variety of topics, as well as nine graphic novels including most recently “Last of the Gladiators” published by Dynamite Entertainment. More about Jonathan Vankin
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