Second prospect from Yankees' Anthony Rizzo trade had bizarre ending with Cubs

In the summer of 2021, Yankees GM Brian Cashman went on the offensive, attempting to solve his flawed team's left-hander-mashing deficiency by acquiring not one, but two lefty sluggers at the trade deadline.

One of them, Joey Gallo, had a miserable tenure in the Bronx, which devolved to the point that many of our commenters were upset this past weekend that they couldn't boo him while he was on the Twins' IL.

The other, Anthony Rizzo, sustained success down the stretch of that otherwise-cursed year, and has since returned to the Yankees on two different contracts. He's been a perfect lieutenant for captain Aaron Judge, and can still crush the ball -- but might've signed on in free agency anyway, even if the Cubs hadn't dealt him here.

What'd the Cubs get in return? The trade's centerpiece, outfielder Kevin Alcantara, is now a consensus top 100 prospect on the verge of a further breakout. His toolsy spring training put him in the center of plenty of speculation.

The other player included in the trade, former Yankees top 10 prospect Alexander Vizcaino? His road has been a little different.

What happened to former Yankees prospect Alexander Vizcaino from Anthony Rizzo trade?

In essence ... not much. While Alcantara continued his ascent last season, Vizcaino was placed on the restricted list almost immediately.

No one likes to pry when instances like this crop up. After all, the restricted list is for non-baseball issues, and the team utilizes it so questions won't be asked.

As it turned out, though, Vizcaino made the list because he never made an appearance of any kind in 2022.

Former Yankees prospect Kevin Alcantara rising, while Alexander Vizcaino is ... not with Cubs

Unsurprisingly, when the season came to an end, Vizcaino was non-tendered by Chicago; his baseball future remains in limbo, and rumors persist that he only wanted to pitch if it was for the Yankees.

From the Yankees' 40-man roster to opting out of a season. Wild.

Once upon a time, Vizcaino was a highly-favored Yankees pitching prospect, rising alongside names like Luis Gil. His results never quite matched the potential, and his 4.38 ERA across two levels in 2019 (Low- and High-A), featuring 128 Ks and 38 walks in 115 innings might represent his ultimate peak.

We wish Vizcaino well on what's undoubtedly been the toughest part of his journey yet.