Anthony Rizzo: MLB Doesn’t Have Competitive Balance Problem

Former MLB star and Netflix baseball commentator Anthony Rizzo said the league is “the most competitive [it’s] ever been,” contradicting a key management talking point in ongoing and fractious labor negotiations between owners and players.

Speaking with Front Office Sports, Rizzo pointed to heightened competitive balance across the league—despite the mighty presence of the two-time defending champion Dodgers, recently burnished by the addition of ace pitcher Tarik Skubal. 

“I think it’s a big bargaining point for Major League Baseball to get out there and say fans want more competitive play, but in my opinion, it’s the most competitive the league’s ever been,” Rizzo said.

“What the Dodgers are doing is amazing and they keep on keeping on, which is great. It’s good for them, it’s good for their franchise, but every team can do it, honestly,” he said. 

Los Angeles is a virtual look to reach the postseason once again in its pursuit of a third straight title, but the club could very well be joined in the playoffs by a series of low-budget upstarts, including the Rays, White Sox, and Guardians. 

The current labor pact between MLB and the MLB Players Association expires Dec. 1, and a management lockout is widely expected at that point. Owners are seeking widespread cuts and reforms—including a hard salary cap strongly opposed by the players—in a bid to address a perceived gap in competitive balance across the league. 

“There’s a lot of noise right now. There’s a lot of ‘he said, she said,’” Rizzo said. “I think the game’s in a great spot, and it would be a shame next year if we did go into an extended strike or lockout.”

Gambling ‘What We Signed Up For’

Rizzo, meanwhile, will be part of Netflix’s announcing crew for the Field of Dreams game next week in Iowa, reprising an on-air role for the streamer he had for last month’s Home Run Derby. He was not able to participate in the game as a Yankees player for the 2021 edition of the showcase after testing positive for COVID-19.

“I want to be able to talk the game of baseball that I love and hopefully share insight to fans that maybe they don’t know or understand,” he said. 

Rizzo has only been a retired player for less than two years, but since then the gambling world around sports has exploded, most recently seen by the Yankees new deal with prediction market Polymarket.

“It is what it is. You go to a game and you want to bet on a game, you bet on a game,” Rizzo said. “I know some players don’t like it, and fans can go to the next level of hatred and anger, but it’s part of, in my opinion, what we signed up for as baseball players and as athletes.”