The Chicago Cubs are in the midst of trying to turn the page towards a new era of baseball in Wrigleyville and potentially get back to contending for a championship for the first time in a very long time.

While the Cubs are trying to officially move forward from a previous golden era in terms of talent on the roster, one of the most important players from that run of success throughout the second half of the 2010s is still trying to find a job coming off some very lean and injury filled years.

There’s no question Anthony Rizzo is one of the most popular players Chicago has seen in a very long time and was one of the most feared hitters in all of baseball.

But the last two years for the three-time All-Star with the New York Yankees – and 2024 in particular – were brutal, leaving Rizzo still looking for a job just weeks before the season.

The veteran says he still wants to play and does not want to retire, but he’s not going to play for pennies on the dollar.

“The fact that teams want you to play for basically league minimum ($760,000), I’m like, you guys are crazy. You’re almost trying to ruin the market for the next guy,” Rizzo said in a story from Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (subscription required).

A competitive drive from Rizzo still exists, but it sure sounds like he is willing to walk away if he does not find a situation that’s the right fit for him.

“I want to play. I want to win,” he said. “And I love talking the game with pitchers, with hitters. There’s so much to dive into. Everything that goes into it, on the field, off the field, I’ll still be talking about it with guys. We’ll just see if I continue playing.”

Rizzo has played in less than 100 games in each of the previous two seasons, but even more concerning than his lack of ability to stay on the field is his production when he is playing.

Slashing .228/.301/.335 with just eight home runs, Rizzo has not been as unproductive at the plate as he was in 2024 since his first season in the MLB back in 2011 with the San Diego Padres.

Now 35 years old and seemingly healthy coming off various injury situations over the last several seasons, Rizzo’s head is clearly still invested in playing the game.

By the sounds of it however, he is not going to be willing to play the game at the only kind of number teams are willing to offer at this stage in his career.

Seeing where the Cubs legend winds up signing somewhere before the season will be something fans in Chicago monitor closely over the coming weeks.