Anthony Rizzo is keeping an open mind on extension talks with Cubs

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Anthony Rizzo wants to remain a Cub for the entirety of his big-league career. However, he knows there’s a business side to baseball that complicates matters, too.

At a Cubs charity event on Thursday, Rizzo expressed his love for the organization, though he added he’d be naïve to think it’s not possible he ends his playing career wearing another big-league uniform.

“I think it would be kind of naïve [of] me not to,” Rizzo told reporters. “It’s something I stated before, about wanting to be here. Obviously, that’s not in the plans right now, [but] that doesn’t mean it’s not gonna be.

“We’ve had some talks and what not. Obviously, nothing came to fruition. This is like home to me, and my wife and my family. But this is a business, this is as cut-throat as ever now.”

Rizzo’s agent, Marc Pollack, caused quite the stir at the Winter Meetings last month. In an interview with ESPN’s Jesse Rogers, Pollack said the Cubs aren't negotiating an extension with the first baseman, drawing a response from general manager Jed Hoyer.

"We've always kept those conversations in-house," Hoyer said on SportsTalk Live on Dec. 11. "We've had conversations with lots of our guys over a five-year period and it’s always best to keep it quiet. I think in this case, Rizzo's agent decided to talk about it. We did have some conceptual talks about what an extension would look like and I think that, candidly, we were pretty far apart in terms of length and so he decided to come out and say that.

"But we love Rizz. I hope he's a Cub forever. There's nothing that's been done that's going to stop future conversations, but we did have some conceptual conversations that obviously wasn't a match at this time. But this is a moment in time. It doesn't mean there's not going to be a match at some point in the future."

Rizzo’s contract includes a club option for 2021, the last year of his deal. But as he and Hoyer both have said, just because a deal hasn’t happened yet doesn’t mean it won’t eventually. The 30-year-old is the face of the franchise, a leader on the field and in the clubhouse.

There’s always a chance the two sides can’t come to terms on a new deal. Just because nothing has happened yet doesn't mean something won't eventually.

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