Yankees predicted to cut ties with $17 million slugger this offseason

The New York Yankees have their sights set on a World Series run, but there are some looming decisions awaiting them this offseason.

Among the many decisions they will be faced with this winter, finding ways to add more room against the luxury tax will play a role.

If they're going to pay superstar Juan Soto as much as possible, there are going to be some casualties.

One of those casualties could be left-handed slugger Anthony Rizzo, who has a $17 million club option with a $6 million buyout.

Spotrac's Michael Ginnitti predicts the Yankees will take the buyout rather than paying Rizzo is full salary coming off a down year.

"Father Time hasn’t been kind to Rizzo both from a production and reliability standpoint of late, putting the Yankees in position to take on the $6M buyout in favor of a $17M salary next season," Ginnitti wrote.

As much as Rizzo is beloved both in the locker room and from the fanbase, the Yankees will need to make some tough decisions like this if they want to re-sign Soto.

Once a consistent force in the middle of the Yankees lineup, Rizzo has dealt with several injuries over the last two seasons, and his 81 OPS+ was the lowest mark since his rookie season in 2011.

Maybe the Yankees could come to an agreement on a cheaper contract, but signs are pointing to the organization needing a replacement for Rizzo this offseason.

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