Anthony Rizzo’s agent says the Cubs won’t offer Rizzo an extension ‘at this time’

I have written here previously that I would like to see the Cubs offer Anthony Rizzo a contract extension that would make him a lifetime Cub:

• Two years ago, in November 2017, and
• Last month, as part of this article about the Cubs exercising Rizzo’s 2020 option

Unfortunately, the Cubs aren’t thinking the same way I am, per Jesse Rogers:

“The Cubs have informed us that they will not be offering Anthony an extension at this time,” Rizzo’s agent Marc Pollack said from the winter meetings. “Anthony has let his desire to be a Cub for life known to the organization. Although we do not know what the future holds, a deal to make that happen will not be addressed now.”

That’s a shame, really. As Rogers noted, Rizzo wants to be a “Cub for life.” Rogers’ article indicates that the Cubs are talking with Javier Baez about a contract extension, but not with Rizzo, Kyle Schwarber or, presumably, Kris Bryant. Bryant isn’t mentioned in Rogers’ article, but per this tweet it doesn’t appear any talks with him are ongoing:

Rizzo is the longest-tenured current Cub. 2020 will be his ninth year with the team, and his on-field leadership qualities and charitable work in the community have made the South Florida native sort of a “Mr. Cub” of his generation. While I realize that the Cubs can’t keep everyone from the current core and that many of them will wind up playing for other teams, I cannot imagine Rizzo in another uniform. Perhaps “at this time,” as Rizzo’s agent stated, just means that they’ll approach it later and Theo Epstein & Co. are approaching these sorts of extensions methodically.

On the other hand, much of what’s being done by the Cubs at this time is screaming out “We’re not operating like a big-market team.” Let’s hope that changes.

One more quote from Rizzo’s agent, and then it’s all yours:

“Anthony loves playing for the Cubs fans and loves the city of Chicago,” Pollack said. “He is excited to be playing for David Ross and will continue to work hard to help the team get back into the postseason and win another championship.”