The Milwaukee Brewers and star outfielder Christian Yelich are nearing a contract extension that would be “in the $215 million range,” according to a report today by Ken Rosenthal with The Athletic.
The report says the 9-year deal is expected to be announced by the Brewers on Friday.
While Rosenthal at The Athletic was the first to report on the deal, other national baseball writers are also following up with additional reports, including Joel Sherman of the New York Post and Jeff Passan of ESPN.
The Brewers acquired Yelich in 2018 in a trade with the Miami Marlins. He has become one of the elite players in Major League Baseball, winning the National League Most Valuable Player Award in 2018 and was a National League All-Star in 2018 and 2019. He was the runner-up for the National League MVP Award in 2019.
The Brewers made it to the playoffs in both of the seasons that Yelich has been on the team, and nearly made it to the World Series in 2018, coming up short by just one win in the National League Championship Series.
In addition to his contributions on the field, Yelich’s star power represents a significant branding opportunity for the Brewers. For example, he was featured on the cover of the RBI Baseball 20 video game.
Yelich and teammate Ryan Braun are also investors in The Avenue, the redevelopment of the former Shops of Grand Avenue, in downtown Milwaukee.
BREAKING: Yelich, #Brewers close on $200M-plus deal, sources tell The Athletic. Story: https://t.co/wCK3eSMkt8
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) March 3, 2020
Source confirms @JoelSherman1 report on terms of Yelich extension: Seven years in $190M range on top of remaining two years at $26.5M. Club option for 2022 will be eliminated. Deal also will include deferrals.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) March 3, 2020
Christian Yelich. Photo credit: Kirsten Schmitt/Brewers[/caption]