Chicago Cubs' Break-Up Begins As Rizzo Is Dealt To Yankees

CHICAGO — The iconic North Side on-field baseball bromance known as “Bryzzo” is no more after the Chicago Cubs dealt fan favorite and Anthony Rizzo to the New York Yankees on Thursday, one day ahead of Major League Baseball’s trade deadline, the two teams announced Thursday night.

The move, which is the first involving one of the Cubs centerpiece players, likely isn’t the last as Kris Bryant and closer Craig Kimbrel are also expected to be traded. Bryant has been linked to several teams looking to add talent for the stretch run of the season including the New York Mets and San Francisco Giants.

MLB.com reported that the Cubs will pay the remainder of Rizzo's salary this season (about $6 million, but that the Cubs would get two Yankees' prospects in return. The Cubs announced they will get outfielder Kevin Alcantara and right-handed pitcher Alexander Vizcaino, both minor leaguers, in the deal for Rizzo, who has hit 14 home runs and driven in 40 runs in 92 games this season.

Rizzo, who will turn 3 in early August, is remembered for tucking the ball representing the final out of the 2016 World Series in his back pocket after taking a throw from Bryant in the 10th inning of Game 7 of the Cubs’ championship-clinching win, The three-time All-Star was dealt on Thursday after neither he nor Bryant played in the Cubs’ loss to the Cincinnati Reds at Wrigley Field.

Rizzo, who was among the first building blocks of the Cubs rebuilding plan when former team President Theo Epstein was hired, told reporters Thursday evening that he is proud of what got accomplished during his tenure on Chicago's North Side.

"That's what matters most — just leaving this place better than when I found it" Rizzo told reporters. "I think I can say that mission is accomplished."

Manager David Ross said before Thursday's game that both Rizzo and Bryant were in need of a day off and the fact neither was in the line-up had nothing to do with trades.

But after the loss — the Cubs' eighth in their past 12 games and third straight – news broke that Rizzo had been traded before the Cubs left for Washington for a weekend series against the Nationals. According to reports, the team was aboard a bus to head to the airport after the game team officials got off the bus. Minutes later, word broke that Rizzo has been traded.

After the game, images of Rizzo walking around Wrigley Field with his dog and family members surfaced. Rizzo was seen posing for a photo in front of the ivy-covered wall in the outfield and then spoke to a few reporters.

“Obviously (it's) very emotional,” Rizzo told reporters Thursday night. “It’s still a roller coaster. … All good things come to an end. It’s going to be a tough second half here, which a lot of here aren’t used to. (It’s been) a long time. To be able to go to another historic franchise like the Yankees, it’s unbelievable.

At the end of Thursday's game, Bryant – who was widely expected to be the first key player dealt out of town – was seen on the Cubs bench surveying Wrigley Field after what could have been his final game with the Cubs.

Many fans took to social media that neither Bryant nor Rizzo were used in a pinch-hitting role to give them one more chance to play in front of fans at Wrigley Field.

Bryant, who is known for his defensive flexibility to play in the infield and outfield, had long been rumored to be traded before Friday’s deadline. Rumors began to surface earlier this week involving Rizzo and the Red Sox, who drafted the first baseman. But the Yankees instead acquired Rizzo.

Earlier this week, Rizzo told NBC Chicago that he hoped to remain with the Cubs, the team he had spent the previous 10 seasons with prior to Thursday's trade. He told reporters Thursday night that he leaves Chicago with no regrets.

“It’ll always be nothing but love, from our family to our foundation,” Rizzo said. “The best nine, 10 years of my life here. The memories here will last forever,. That’s why I always cherished every moment."

He added: "All good things come to an end."

The move come just more than a month since the Cubs plummeted from first place in the National League Central Division during an 11-game losing streak that dropped them into fourth place.

Team President Jed Hoyer said that the losing streak turned the Cubs into sellers as the trade deadline approached. Ross said that the constant chatter about how long players like Bryant and Rizzo had taken a toll on the Cubs’ focus during a stretch when they have struggled to display any consistency.

‘I think we would be naive to say it hasn’t affected [things],’’ Ross said last week. ‘‘Looking up on the board at the numbers of these guys, it’s very uncharacteristic of who they’ve been. So that has to be a factor.’’