The Yankees officially have another hole to fill after Anthony Rizzo declined his $16 million player option on Monday.
The decision by Rizzo had been expected after the first baseman hit 32 homers in his first full season in The Bronx.
Rizzo, 33, figures to be in line for a multiyear deal, but his value will likely be impacted by the back issues that sidelined him multiple times during the second half of the season.
On Friday, general manager Brian Cashman said he would be interested in signing Rizzo to a new deal if he became a free agent.
“We’d love to have Rizzo playing first base for us moving forward,’’ Cashman said. “If he opts out, we’ll stay engaged.”
They won’t have to worry about that with Luis Severino after the Yankees picked up his $15 million team option for 2023, which was also expected after Cashman indicated on Friday they would do so.
Severino will slide in along with Nestor Cortes as part of a rotation led by Gerrit Cole.
Yankees starter Luis Severino pitches against the Astros in Game 2 of the ALCS on Oct. 20, 2022. Charles Wenzelberg/New York PostFrankie Montas is set to return after an ugly start to his Yankee tenure, as the team hopes a healthy shoulder provides better results than he provided after the right-hander was acquired — along with Lou Trivino — from the A’s at the trade deadline.
Domingo German and Clarke Schmidt will provide depth, but the Yankees figure to be in the market to add a starter either via trade or free agency.
Severino had a 3.18 ERA and a 1.000 WHIP in 102 innings, but missed two months with a strained lat that resulted in a 60-day IL stint the right-hander disagreed with.
He returned in time to make three starts in September — including a dominant outing in his final start of the regular season, when he pitched seven no-hit innings before being pulled due to his pitch count.
Severino was less effective in two playoff starts, allowing six runs in 11 innings.
The 28-year-old is in line to become a free agent for the first time following next season.






