:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/66427941/usa_today_13326802.0.jpg)
The Brewers are close to a long-term contract extension with two-time All-Star and 2018 NL MVP Christian Yelich, according to a report Tuesday afternoon from The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal. It will be a seven-year extension, tacked on to the two years and $26.5 remaining on his current contract, effectively making it a nine-year commitment with a mutual option for a 10th. The extension is expected to be worth roughly $188.5 million, as the New York Post’s Joel Sherman first reported:
BREAKING: Yelich, #Brewers close on $200M-plus deal, sources tell The Athletic. Story: https://t.co/wCK3eSMkt8
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) March 3, 2020
Yelich has been working on 1 of most team-friendly deals in MLB, which he signed with #Marlins (7 yrs, $49.6M). With the option the deal would have taken him thru his age-30 season. #Brewers tear up option give him 7 more years at roughly $188.5M beyond 2-$26.5M currently owed
— Joel Sherman (@Joelsherman1) March 3, 2020
Yelich contract will when concluded include a mutual option which if picked up would make it a 10-year deal #Brewers
— Joel Sherman (@Joelsherman1) March 3, 2020
Yelich has been arguably the best player in the National League since being traded from the Marlins to the Brewers prior to the 2018 season, hitting .327/.415/.631 with 80 homers and 207 RBI over two seasons. Understandably, this extension is a huge move for Milwaukee — arguably the biggest in franchise history, and at least the biggest since the Brewers signed Ryan Braun to a long-term, nine-figure deal early in the 2008 season.
Yelich will join Mike Trout, Nolan Arenado, José Altuve, Paul Goldschmidt, and Xander Bogaerts as prominent major-league hitters who were relatively close to hitting free agency but instead opted to sign long-term extensions with their current teams in recent years.