Cubs’ Anthony Rizzo: ‘Luxury tax wasn’t meant to be a salary cap, and teams are treating it like tha

MESA, Ariz. — The question to Cubs outfielder Kyle Schwarber about how money changes people wasn’t even finished when a first baseman with rabbit ears piped in from four lockers away Wednesday.

‘‘Money talks,’’ Anthony Rizzo said, smiling.

If that wasn’t a tone-setter for the start of Cubs spring training, consider it at least another voice in a growing chorus of players critical of the game’s economic squeeze on salaries — and more focused on upcoming collective-bargaining negotiations than players have been in a generation.

‘‘I think the luxury tax wasn’t meant to be a salary cap, and teams are treating it like that,’’ Rizzo told the Sun-Times. ‘‘Are you sacrificing winning a championship to be under the tax threshold? Who knows? We don’t know that.’’

Nothing that would be news to us- but still something of interest to see brought up in open discussion.

Stoneman Douglas names baseball field after Chicago Cubs star Anthony Rizzo after premiering field’s

Standing near the pitcher’s mound of his old baseball diamond, Anthony Rizzo recounted how he was cut from the Stoneman Douglas varsity baseball team.

Despite the discouraging demotion to junior varsity, Rizzo did make the Eagles’ varsity squad eventually. He was later drafted by the Boston Red Sox and became a star for the Chicago Cubs.

Now one of Major League Baseball’s top first basemen, Rizzo found a way to give back to his alma mater. The former Douglas star donated $150,000 and helped raise additional funds so the school could install lights for the baseball and softball fields.

On Monday, the school debuted the lights and named the baseball field Anthony Rizzo Field.

Cubs pick up Anthony Rizzo’s 2020 option

Jon Heyman reports that the Cubs have picked up their 2020 club option for first baseman Anthony Rizzo at $16.5 million. The Cubs also hold a club option for the 2021 season at $16.5 million.

Rizzo, 30, had another terrific season for the Cubs in 2019, batting .293/.405/.520 with 27 home runs, 94 RBI, and 89 runs scored across 613 plate appearances. Towards the end of the season, as the Cubs went on a losing streak that pushed them out of playoff contention, Rizzo dealt with a sprained ankle. He has otherwise been quite durable in his eight seasons with the Cubs.

Not particularly surprising, is it?

Cubs Team Doctor Recommends Anthony Rizzo Rehab Injured Ankle By Engaging In Light Physical Activities Like Baseball

Ha!

Anthony Rizzo made a dramatic return, the Cubs rallied in the ninth and they still lost … again – The Athletic

Surprise return for Rizzo. Does Theo blow up this team if they fail to make the playoffs?

LEADING OFF: Cubs’ Rizzo to get MRI, Suárez slugs away

BIG TEST

The Cubs are sending star slugger Anthony Rizzo for an MRI after he sprained his right ankle Sunday, hoping the first baseman can still help with their postseason push. Rizzo was injured fielding a bunt at first base in the third inning during a 16-6 win over Pittsburgh. He had to be helped off the field and could not put pressure on the leg. X-rays taken at Wrigley Field showed no fractures, but Chicago will get a clearer prognosis from the MRI. Chicago’s postseason pursuit has already been hindered by an injury to shortstop Javier Báez, who is out for the rest of the regular season with a hairline fracture of his left thumb.

SEEING RED

Eugenio Suárez takes aim at the major league home run lead as the Reds open a series at Wrigley Field. Suárez connected twice Sunday and has 47 for the season, tying him with Mets slugger Pete Alonso for best in the majors. The 28-year-old Suárez has eight homers this month. The last Cincinnati hitter to lead the majors in home runs was George Foster, who hit 52 in 1977.

Would it aid Suarez’s efforts to take the home run lead if he were Simply Red, rather than Seeing Red?

LEADING OFF: DeGrom-Scherzer, Encarnación set, Dorian effect

PAIR OF ACES

It’s a marquee matchup when Jacob deGrom starts for the Mets against Max Scherzer at Nationals Park. Washington leads the NL wild-card race, New York is chasing.

DeGrom (8-8, 2.66 ERA) is 1-0 with a 0.53 ERA in three games vs. the Nationals this season. Scherzer (9-5. 2.46) has a 3.24 ERA in 8 1/3 innings over two starts since returning from the injured list last month.

Mets catcher Wilson Ramos owns a 25-game hitting streak, the longest active string in the majors.

Mind you, with modern pitcher usage being what it is, anti-climax seems the most likely option….

The Future Star Who Got Away From Each MLB Team

Athletics: Max Muncy (released), 9.9 WAR
Also: Joey Wendle (traded for Jonah Heim)

Muncy in two seasons as an Athletic: .195/.290/.321, 5 home runs, -0.2 WAR
Muncy in two seasons as a Dodger: .262/.383/.561, 68 home runs, 9.9 WAR

Muncy as a Dodger is a top-10 hitter in the sport; he displays power, patience at the plate, and capable multipositional flexibility for the team most suited to make use of that fluidity. Of course, every team could use a 30-homer hitter with elite on-base skills, but perhaps only the Dodgers could have coaxed such improvement out of Muncy, who has hit at every level since joining the club in 2017.