Cubs, Anthony Rizzo seem to be making progress on a contract extension

You can easily make the case that Anthony Rizzo is this generation’s ‘Mr. Cub’.

The three-time All-Star has long anchored this franchise, both on and off the field. He’s been as consistent as they come in terms of performance and a transformative figure in the community. Every fanbase has guys they simply can’t envision playing for another team. For Cubs fans, that guy is Rizzo.

Thankfully, it appears talks between the front office and Rizzo’s camp are going well so far.

We’ve known for awhile that Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer was planning on sitting down with Rizzo, as well as Kris Bryant and Javier Baez, to hammer out extensions this spring. So far, though, Chicago hasn’t approached Bryant. This news from Rizzo is the first confirmation of anything on that front, really.

More from Cubbies Crib

• Cubs should keep close eye on non-tender candidate Cody Bellinger
• Cubs starting pitching has been thriving on the North Side
• Make no mistake: the Cubs are very much about power hitters
• Cubs are giving pitcher Javier Assad a deserved shot
• Cubs: It’s time to start thinking about potential September call-ups

Rizzo has played his entire Cubs career under what’s wound up being a very team-friendly deal. Inked way back in 2013, the nine-year, $75 million contract paid the slugging first baseman a small portion of what he’s been worth over the years. It’s safe to say Chicago won’t enjoy such a bargain in a new deal.

Cubs need to prioritize winning if they want to keep Anthony Rizzo

If the front office is serious about keeping Rizzo in a Cubs uniform, it means they’ll have to lay out a plan as to how they plan on turning the page on arguably the most successful era in franchise history into a new window of contention.

This offseason didn’t do much to support that notion. I mean, they traded last year’s NL Cy Young runner-up for a package of prospects who won’t even sniff the big leagues for at least three or four years. Selling Rizzo on a rebuild at this point in his career would be darn near impossible, and rightfully so.

He was here for the entire Theo Epstein era, which meant he experienced his share of 100-loss teams and rosters that had no chance of competing at a high level. It’s on Hoyer, Epstein’s handpicked successor, to paint the picture now and get Rizzo signed on to finish his career in a Cubs uniform.