It certainly sounds like Anthony Rizzo is ready to leave the Yankees in the dust

The New York Yankees are ready to play the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 4 of the World Series on Tuesday night. New York trails Los Angeles 3-0 in the series. The Dodgers were dominant throughout all three games, leaving the Yankees on the brink of elimination.

And with the season on the line, some players, fans and media are being forced to look at the upcoming free agents from both sides. Players like Juan Soto, Teoscar Hernandez, Clay Holmes and Blake Treinen are all set to enter unrestricted free agency at the end of the season. This could be the end of their time with their current team.

And then there are players like Anthony Rizzo who are attached to a club option. Rizzo could also be playing his last game with the Yankees, which would have seemed strange a few months ago. But given Rizzo’s poor play and lack of consistent health, it’s hard to imagine the Yankees will pick up his $17 million option for 2025.

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Before Game 4, Rizzo was asked about the possibility that this could be his last game and his last series in a Yankees uniform. Instead of dancing around the question, the veteran first baseman answered openly and honestly.

“This could very well be the case. I’m a realist, and it’s not that I’m naive about it, but I think that will all happen when the time is right,” Rizzo said of the possibility of Game 4 being his last in a Yankees uniform.

The probability of the Yankees accepting his $17 million option is closer to 0 percent than 100 percent. But that doesn’t rule out the possibility that the Yankees decline the option and look to restructure the deal for slightly less money.

New York is about to enter a nasty bidding war with the New York Mets, Toronto Blue Jays and other major market teams to bring Juan Soto back to the Bronx. They will need every dollar they can get to ensure Soto is in the pinstripes for life.

And this could come at Rizzo’s expense. But Rizzo doesn’t seem too upset about it. At the end of the day, baseball is a business and no one understands that better than a veteran who has been traded before.