Exclusive: Anthony Rizzo talks Cubs, Yankees, Max Scherzer, Vlad Jr. and More

By D.J. Siddiqi

Anthony Rizzo made an impact for two of the biggest franchises in the MLB during his playing career, the New York Yankees and the Chicago Cubs.

Rizzo won a World Series with the Cubs and was a three-time All-Star first baseman during his 14-season playing career. He spent the prime of his career with the Cubs (2012-2020) before ending his career with the New York Yankees (2021-2024), where he helped lead them to a World Series appearance in his final season.

The four-time Gold Glove Award winner recently sat down with Casino.ca to talk about a range of topics, including the Yankees, the Toronto Blue Jays, what it'll take for the Cubs to get over the hump and his partnership with PAYDAY.

Q: What are the details with your Low Key Legends initiative with PAYDAY?

Rizzo: “I partnered up with PAYDAY, basically highlighting the "Low Key Legends" of our game. There's so many people behind the scenes that go into big leaguers being the big leaguers that fans come to know and love, and that starts with the training staff, our clubhouse attendants, parking attendants, everyone that goes in behind-the-scenes, and I think it's so cool that PAYDAY is highlighting them because these are the people that never get talked about, but are such huge influences on the final product on the field.”

Q: Does it impress you that the Rays are able to compete with the Yankees so well, considering their lack of payroll?

Rizzo: “No, the Rays have been developing players at an elite clip. It just seems like they're a factory in their player development, and that's a shout out to the entire Rays organization. Kevin Cash is a great manager with the players he has. He doesn't have the big superstars with the big payday, so he manages them very well.”

Q: A big key for the Yankees is Cam Schlittler, right? It looks like he's the AL Cy Young favorite. Is he the best pitcher in the American League right now?

Rizzo: “No doubt. I think he's nasty. He feeds off of the road environment. He feeds off the haters on X. He just seems like he's the total package, and he has elite stuff. You saw in the Wild Card game, he went to his curveball more. That just tells me his ability to make adjustments and not just be reliant on his three fastballs. So he's elite, and Gerrit (Cole) is elite, Max Fried's elite, Carlos Rodon's elite. The Rays have their work cut out for him. But again, at the end of the day, it's just all about timely hitting in the playoffs.”

Q: Is there a pitcher comparison you have in mind for Schlittler? I know he's pretty young at 25.

Rizzo: “I mean, he's a young Max Scherzer, right? Just comes at you, kind of long leggers. He's dominating right now.”

Q: It's funny that you brought up Scherzer because I was going to bring him up. So Scherzer obviously plays with the Blue Jays and might be retiring. You're very familiar with him. What are your overall thoughts on Scherzer?

Rizzo: “He's one of the best pitchers in our generation. He's won a World Series. He's won Cy Youngs. He's a multiple-time All Star. He's been a front-line ace in our game. It was someone that was not fun, but fun, to face because you got to face Max Scherzer. It was an opportunity to face the game's best.

“I think it was really special up at the Rogers Centre for him and George Springer the last game of the season. The way the fans showed out for them. It seems like when you're a Blue Jay, that fan base really rallies around you, and there's a special connection there. Talking to guys that have played there, they say the same thing.”

Q: Will he go down as one of the most dominant pitchers in recent memory?

Rizzo: “No doubt, no doubt. If he decides to come back and play, I think as long as he's healthy, he's still able to produce at a fairly high level. It's just, Father Time’s not on his side. The older you get, the harder it is to recover, and that's been proven over the last few years with him and Justin Verlander. It's just hard to keep them on the field consistently.”

Q: Obviously, he's on the older end at 42. Do you think he returns?

Rizzo: “I don't know. I think he goes into the offseason, sees what happens, sees the offers that come his way. If it's a great fit, and he thinks he's able to come back and make a real October run, we'll see. It really just depends on -- like this campaign with PAYDAY -- there's so many people behind the scenes in his life with his wife and his family that goes into his decision. It takes an entire army to make it. He'll make it when the time's right, and he feels like the time is right.”

Q: While we're on the Blue Jays topic, I'll ask you about Vlad Jr. Obviously, he signed a big deal. He had a disappointing season. Were you surprised by his drop off this year?

Rizzo: “Yeah, I was, because he's so good. When the superstars have down years, their down years are still better than half, three-quarters of the league. His down year was exceptionally down, especially power-wise. But one thing about Vlad is -- and I know he said those comments about the contract -- I don't think as a fan or a Blue Jay fan, you need to question his work ethic or his integrity that he puts towards the game. It's in the blood. His dad played forever. He loves baseball. He grew up playing baseball. It's all he knows, so I think a down year like this is definitely surprising.

“It's not easy coming off playing the last game of the World Series. I know they didn't win going into that offseason, and just sometimes you just maybe expect to roll out there and put up your numbers. But I think this will just fuel him going forward, and you'll probably see him as the Comeback Player of the Year next year. Because I'm sure that he'll take this into the off season as motivation.”

Q: I gotta talk about the Cubs, the team that you're best known for. So obviously, Pete Crow-Armstrong, huge season. He's going to be the MVP, but he went hitless in the playoff series. Do you think that provides motivation for him heading into next season?

Rizzo: “Yes and no. I think all the success he had this year — playing in the World Baseball Classic, being an All Star, front-runner for MVP — he knows what it takes to play at that level. October baseball is October baseball. There's two games. That's the beauty of this wild card game: it's must-see TV. The downside of it is if you have two bad games, it's under a magnifying glass. Throughout the year, he had two games that were probably worse than the two games he had in the wild card. It's just part of baseball.

“The Cubs now are going back-to-back years in the playoffs, having a little bit of success last year and then getting back this year. It's an addicting feeling that you want to keep going on, and it only gets more fun the deeper you go. So yes, it will motivate him, but these superstars usually don't need a lot of motivation. They know what it takes every day, year in and year out.”

Q: What's it going to take for the Cubs to take that next step?

Rizzo: “Pitching, honestly. Their defense is elite. They had a great offense this year, but again, next year is going to be its own year. They're going to have their whole new identity next year, so it's really just coming together. And next year, the start of spring training and building that brotherhood. It seemed like they're a very close team the last couple years, but that wasn't the formula in the postseason. So pitching and defense wins it all, and I think the Cubs will address their pitching needs this offseason.”

Q: You played with Ian Happ. He’s going to be a free agent. Are you hopeful he re-signs with the Cubs? What do you think happens there?

Rizzo: “I mean, he's played there for 10 years. He's been an amazing Cub, very consistent over his time. A down year for him offensively hitting right-handed, and I talked to him about this. His left-handed numbers were elite, over .800 OPS hitting left-handed, so it'll be interesting to see if the Cubs maybe want to keep him as a platoon player and hit against righties, or they just move on and fill that left field void.

“But he's a Gold Glove outfielder. He's an elite, elite left fielder, and we'll see how that all shapes out. But I know for Ian, wherever he goes, he's going to be a good addition to that team for sure.”