The New York Yankees have significant roster gaps to address for a strong postseason push. Anthony Rizzo’s ongoing struggles have highlighted the need for an upgrade at first base. Rizzo, who was benched on June 9 and 10, has not performed well, and The Athletic’s Chris Kirschner has proposed that trading for Miami Marlins’ Josh Bell would be a sensible move.
Rizzo is hitting .220/.279/.332 this season, and his advanced metrics do not suggest any improvement. “Teams today often use advanced data to defend a hitter’s poor performance by pointing to hard-hit metrics that predict better outcomes,” wrote The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal. “The Yankees can’t do that with Rizzo. Metrics like bat speed, exit velocity, and chase percentage all place him in the bottom 20 percent of the league.”
Rizzo signed a two-year, $40 million contract with the Yankees in 2022. Meanwhile, Bell, an All-Star in 2019 and a Silver Slugger in 2022, was acquired by the Marlins last season. In 2023, Bell posted an .818 OPS over 53 games for the Marlins. While his performance has dipped slightly this season, he still has a respectable .707 OPS and seven home runs.
The Marlins, with the worst record in the National League at 23-43, are expected to be active sellers at the trade deadline. They’ve already signaled their intentions by trading two-time All-Star and batting champion Luis Arraez to the San Diego Padres. Marlins president of baseball operations Peter Bendix explained their strategy of trading established players for future value, given their poor season record and slim playoff chances.
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If the Yankees were to trade for Bell, he would serve as a rental player for the 2024 season, having exercised his player option for that year, and he will become a free agent in 2025. Rizzo, on the other hand, has a $6 million buyout on a $17 million club option after this season.
Rizzo’s future with the Yankees is uncertain, influenced by his performance, the team’s payroll considerations, and their potential pursuit of Juan Soto. Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner has described the current $300 million payroll as “not sustainable” due to the luxury tax. This financial constraint could lead to Rizzo being let go to free up funds for acquiring Soto. As Kirschner noted, Rizzo might be a casualty of the Yankees’ efforts to manage their payroll and pursue Soto.