The Yankees were still in discussions Tuesday over extending a qualifying offer to one of their big hitters.
The Post’s Jon Heyman reported Tuesday morning that the Yankees are expected to give first baseman Anthony Rizzo the one-year, $19.65 million qualifying offer. As of Tuesday night, however, the team didn’t seem certain about it.
It’s unclear whether the 33-year-old would accept the offer, given he opted out of the final year of his contract that would’ve paid him $16 million in 2023 to become a free agent. Teams have until Thursday to extend qualifying offers, and players then have 10 days to either accept or reject the deal.
Rizzo, in his first full season with the Yankees after he was acquired from the Cubs before the 2021 trade deadline, had a .224/.338/.480 slash line with 32 home runs, 75 RBIs and 77 runs scored in 2022.
The three-time All-Star had a strong postseason, with a slash line of .276/.432/.552, two home runs and eight RBIs. He did not show his hand when asked about his future after the Yankees were swept by the Astros in the ALCS.
“At this point, my wife and I will sit down with my agents and we’ll talk about all that,” Rizzo said after the Game 4 loss. “But I’ve told them since signing the deal we’re not going to talk about it until after the season. Now in the next few weeks, it’s time to talk about it.”
With the 2022 MLB General Managers Meetings getting underway Tuesday in Las Vegas, the Yankees’ top priority is trying to retain Aaron Judge, who is a free agent after a historic season in which he broke Roger Maris’ team and American League record by hitting 62 home runs.
Before the season started, Judge turned down a seven-year, $213 million contract extension from the Yankees. He went on to have what will likely be an MVP season, with a slash line of .311/.425/.686, 131 RBIs and 133 runs scored.