Dave Schoenfield hands out grades as the New York Yankees acquire 1B Anthony Rizzo from the Chicago Cubs for RHP Alexander Vizcaino and OF Kevin Alcantara.
Yankees: B
With Luke Voit having played just 29 games due to injuries and DJ LeMahieu not hitting as well as the previous two seasons, the Yankees have struggled all season to get viable production at first base. They rank 29th in the majors with a .612 OPS at first base, hitting a combined .198/.289/.323 with just 11 home runs. The Yankees' bad results at first base are easily their biggest problem.
That makes Rizzo an upgrade almost by default, even if he's not quite as good as his name. After hitting .284/.388/.513 from 2014 to 2019 for an OPS+ of 139, he has fallen off to .238/.344/.433 the past two seasons, including .248/.346/.446 this season. That's fine and an obvious upgrade over what the Yankees have been receiving at first base, even if he's not the hitter and on-base machine he was a few years ago. As a bonus, the Yankees can slide LeMahieu back to second base, where he's a defensive upgrade over Rougned Odor.
Still, the trade raises a couple questions. Why did Brian Cashman wait until the end of July to add a couple more left-handed bats? Indeed, even Odor (who has 12 of the 22 home runs hit by Yankees left-handed hitters), was acquired after the start of the season. Maybe that's unfair given the Yankees led the AL in runs in both 2019 and 2020, but even in the offseason there were reasonable debates about whether the lineup was too right-handed and a reason the Yankees have struggled to score runs in recent postseasons.
The other long-term question is whether the strategy to use prospects to save money in both the Gallo and Rizzo trades will haunt the club down the road. Per earlier reports, the Rangers will cover all of Gallo's remaining salary, and per the YES Network's Jack Curry the Cubs will cover the roughly $6 million still owed to Rizzo. This will allow the Yankees to remain below the luxury tax threshold of $210 million, but it also meant they included a higher level of prospects in the trades. The farm system has been thinned in a desperate push for a wild card that still could end up falling short. Still, this is a pretty fun lineup now for a team that ranks next-to-last in the AL in runs per game and just got shut out on Thursday:
2B LeMahieu
RF Aaron Judge
CF Gallo
DH Giancarlo Stanton
1B Rizzo
C Gary Sanchez
SS Gleyber Torres
3B Gio Urshela
LF Brett Gardner
Cubs: A-
It's certainly sad to see Rizzo leave the Cubs after an amazing 11-year run, but his departure has really been inevitable for a couple years now. He'll go down as one of the most beloved Cubs players of all time. As for the prospects, the Cubs did pretty well considering there really wasn't a big market for Rizzo. Most playoff contenders are set at first base, and there had been few rumors for Rizzo aside from the Yankees or Boston Red Sox.
Vizcaino is a 24-year-old right-hander who had some steam after a strong 2019, but he's still in Class A and has pitched just six innings so far in 2021. At his best, he pumps a mid-90s fastball and reached 100 mph back in 2019, with a plus-plus changeup as well. He just returned in July, however, working in short one-inning stints for now. If healthy, there is clear upside here as a possible starter and at the minimum as a bullpen guy.
Alcantara -- who just turned 19 years old, is listed at 6-foot-6 and was a $1 million signing out of the Dominican Republic in 2018 -- is likely years away from the majors as he has played just 49 professional games, including eight so far in rookie ball, where he's 9-for-25 (.360) with a home run. His speed is a plus right now, so he projects as a possible center fielder, although there is room for him to fill out, which could necessitate a move to a corner outfield position. It's a total upside play and a worthy gamble for the Cubs, who have few high-ceiling prospects in the system.