In a blockbuster trade, the Chicago Cubs have sent three-time All-Star first baseman Anthony Rizzo to the New York Yankees.
According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, the Yankees have, in fact, acquired the four-time Golden Glove winner. Terms of the deals are not yet disclosed. The move comes as part of a wider effort by the team to get more left-handed bats in the lineup.
But Rizzo isn’t exactly in the midst of his best season. In 92 games he has 80 hits, 41 runs, 14 home runs, 40 RBIs, 36 walks and a .248 batting average.
While he’s playing markedly better than during last year’s pandemic-shortened season, he’s not dominating the plate like he was between 2014 and 2019. Even so, Cubs fans and non-Cubs fans alike are pretty upset right now:
Cubs better get quite a haul
— Scott Halasz (@ohiostatescott) July 29, 2021
This is heartbreaking. Most liked guy in the league on the most hated team in the league. God damn
— Ted Melchionda (@Ted_Melchionda) July 29, 2021
Sad day in @Cubs history. Did they include Ernie Banks in the deal?
— Paul Petricca (@petricca413) July 29, 2021
I’m a White Sox fan, but I feel for Cub fans. Rizzo is the heart of that team.
— The none and only Bill (@sportsfan926) July 29, 2021
Anthony Rizzo made three straight All-Star games between 2014 and 2016. He finished 10th in NFL voting in 2014, 4th in 2015, and 4th again in 2016.
But Rizzo will always have a special place in Cubs lore for his 2016 season. He, along with Kris Bryant and Ben Zobrist, led the Chicago Cubs to the World Series, where they beat the Cleveland Indians in Game 7 to win the title.
Off the field, Rizzo has done incredible charity work for the city of Chicago. In 2017 he made a $3.5 million donation to the famous Lorie Children’s Hospital.
His time in Chicago may be over, but he’ll be an icon in the Windy City for years to come.
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