Cubs make decision on Anthony Rizzo, Daniel Descalso |
CHICAGO – The Chicago Cubs today exercised their 2021 club contract option on first baseman Anthony Rizzo. Additionally, the team declined its 2021 club contract option on infielder Daniel Descalso. The Cubs 40-man roster remains at 31 players.
Rizzo, 31, made his Cubs debut in 2012 and his 228 home runs rank eighth in franchise history while his 744 RBI and 588 walks both rank 14th. He joins Billy Williams as the only Cubs left-handed hitters to reach 25 home runs in six-or-more campaigns, and his 505 extra-base hits are fourth-most among left-handed batters in franchise history. Rizzo last season tied for second on the club with 11 home runs and hit .222 (45-for-203) with 24 RBI in 58 games. A three-time N.L. Gold Glove Award winner, he tied for the top mark among major league first basemen with a .998 fielding percentage and is once again a finalist for the award at the position. Since the beginning of the 2015 season, Rizzo has reached base safely 1,383 times, third-most in the National League behind only Cincinnati’s Joey Votto (1,490) and St. Louis’ Paul Goldschmidt (1,458). His 158 home runs in that span rank tied for fourth in the N.L., his .385 on-base percentage ranks sixth and his .889 OPS ranks ninth. Descalso, 34, missed all of last season due to a left ankle sprain. Signed by the Cubs as a free agent prior to the 2019 campaign, he batted .173 (29-for-168) with two homers and 15 RBI in 82 games that season. The #Cubs today exercised their 2021 club contract option on 1B Anthony Rizzo.
Rizzo’s back. pic.twitter.com/yvIbdeMwUj
The team declined its 2021 club contract option on INF Daniel Descalso. pic.twitter.com/gxv3vuWTSR
