"I built my career, met my wife in Chicago" - Anthony Rizzo gets candid about being blindsided by Cubs trade to the Yankees

Anthony Rizzo was in shock after the Chicago Cubs called him to the office and said that he was getting traded to the New York Yankees in a move that was always coming. Before the 2021 MLB trade deadline, the Cubs shook up their core of the 2016 World Series winning team, trading away famous names like Rizzo, Javier Baez and others.

The Cubs traded first baseman Rizzo to the Yankees for minor league prospects Alexander Vizcaíno and Kevin Alcántara, plus cash considerations. Rizzo played for Chicago from 2012-2021 and made it to three All-Star games from 2014 to 2016.

It was a shock for Anthony Rizzo in many ways, as he had built up everything in Chicago, including his family. He broke the silence on how it felt to be traded from Chicago, during his appearance on Johnny Manziel's podcast.

"They call me into the office, and your heart drops," Rizzo said (28:05). "This is all I’ve known, Chicago, right? I built my whole career here, met my wife here, and they go, 'Hey, we’re trading you.' And I’m like, 'What? We were just talking about doing a deal, and now you’re trading me?'

"So it was definitely uneasy. But then you find out it’s the Yankees, and I was like, 'Holy s***.' I grew up a Yankee fan. Everyone grew up a Yankee fan."

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Anthony Rizzo explains his feelings 24 hours after his trade to the Yankees

For Anthony Rizzo, the first 24 hours were about shock and disappointment, as he was still trying to sink in that he was going to leave Chicago, where he had spent the last decade of his life.

During the same segment of the podcast, Rizzo explained his feelings 24 hours after the trade.

"After the dust settled, it was great," Anthony Rizzo said. "But that first 24 hours was like, ‘What the f***?’ Thank God the Yankees were in Miami, and I’m from down here, so I got to come home and decompress at my house.

"I didn’t stay at the team hotel, I stayed at my house, which I always do when we come here. I was able to relax for like 48 to 72 hours while still playing baseball."

However, as 24 hours passed, Rizzo took note of the bright side of it, as he was going to join a New York team, which is a perennial postseason contender.

"But you’re moving all your stuff, you’re going from Chicago to New York. Everything’s ingrained in Chicago," Rizzo added.

"I had no idea where I was living in New York. I hated going to New York as a visiting player, loved leaving, because you’d stay right in the heart of the city, and it was too much. But once we got settled there, honestly, that trade was the best thing that ever happened to me.”

Anthony Rizzo's time with the Yankees was marred by injuries and struggling performances.

In 2023, he only played 99 games due to post-concussion syndrome. In 2024, he suffered a fractured forearm and later broke multiple fingers. That same season was his worst offensively, as he only hit .228, along with eight home runs and a .637 OPS.

In November last year, the Yankees declined Rizzo's $17 million club option for the 2025 season and opted to buy out his contract for $6 million.