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JON VANKIN is a journalist and writer. He is the author of five nonfiction books and nine graphic novels. His writing has appeared in The New York Times Magazine, Salon, the L.A. Weekly and dozens of other publications and he has received numerous awards and honors including three New England Press Association awards. In connection with his work, Vankin has made numerous media appearances on such networks as CNN, CNBC, FOX, the BBC and the CBC as well as hundreds of radio stations and podcasts. Vankin in his wide-ranging career has also served as an editor of comic books and newspapers. He is the editor of the NEW YORK TIMES #1 BESTSELLING graphic novel GET JIRO! by the late, great Anthony Bourdain. He co-wrote the hit Off Broadway musical FOREVER DUSTY, and served as a sportswriter and editor at The Daily Yomiuri, the English-language edition of Japan's largest newspaper, the Yomiuri Shimbun, in Tokyo.
Contributing Sports Writer
Anthony Rizzo was selected by the Boston Red Sox in the sixth round of the 2007 MLB draft out of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. That is the same high school that current Red Sox top prospect, and No. 1 prospect in baseball, Roman Anthony was drafted from in the 2022 second round.
But while Anthony's big league career has yet to get started, Rizzo's appears to be coming to a close. Once the New York Yankees, just two days after losing the 2024 World Series to the Los Angeles Dodgers, told Rizzo they would decline his $17 million option for 2025, the 14-year veteran and four-time All-Star became a free agent. And he is still a free agent almost four months later.
On one hand, Rizzo sounds like he knows he could be at the end of the line as an MLB player, saying in a recent interview that he has "definitely thought about" the possibility of retirement, saying, "I'm not naive to it. It could be it."
At the same time, the 35-year-old who was traded by the Red Sox for San Diego Padres first baseman Adrian Gonzalez in 2010, is not ready to fully accept the end of his career just yet.
"I think I have a lot to give to the game still. I want to play," he told The Athletic in an interview published Friday. "I want to win. 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."
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Now, the popular Yankee fan blog "Bleeding Yankee Blue" might have a solution that would allow Rizzo to split the difference — come back to the Yankees in the dual role of "player-coach."
"Rather than seeing this as the end of Rizzo's journey, I think it could be the start of something pretty special," wrote Bleeding Yankee Blue head writer Robert Casey. "Especially if the Yankees are paying attention. Picture this: The Bronx Bombers offer Rizzo a unique one-year deal, not just as a player but as a "Player-Coach Mentor."
Casey said in his Saturday post that Rizzo would take the leadership role that manager Aaron Boone, in Casey's opinion, fails to take.
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"Whether he's hitting dingers or delivering pep talks, Rizzo has a role to play. And if the Yankees are smart, they'll make sure that role keeps him in the game, even if it looks a little different than before," Casey continued. "If this Player-Coach Mentor idea takes off, it might just be the most Yankee move ever — both bold and sentimental, with a touch of that New York flair."
If Rizzo were to return, he would be one of only two players on the 2025 Yankees roster with a World Series championship on his resumé. He homered and drove in five runs for the Chicago Cubs in the 2016 World Series, a historic victory for the Cubs — their first and, to date, only World Series win since 1908.
The sole Yankee player with a ring at the moment is newly acquired free agent lefty pitcher Max Fried, who started two games, winning one and losing one, in the 2021 World Series won by his team, the Atlanta Braves.
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