When the Brewers signed Christian Yelich to a nine-year, $215-million contract in March 2020, Yelich received a full no-trade clause. Unfortunately, for some stretches since then, that clause has seemed redundant. As Yelich struggled in his first three seasons after the knee injury that prematurely ended his 2019 campaign, his extension looked essentially untradable. He was an increasingly injury-wrecked corner outfielder with a .243/.358/.388 batting line from 2020 through 2022.
Since then, though, he’s rediscovered something. Since the start of 2023, Yelich is batting .279/.366/.460. Back surgery took him out of the picture for the stretch run in 2024, but he returned with another impressive, durable campaign in 2025. He’ll turn 34 years old in December, but he feels like a better bet right now than he did three years ago. Meanwhile, he’s settled into the portion of his contract during which some of his salary is deferred. Yelich’s salary for the three years left on his deal is $26 million per season, but $4 million of that will be deferred by a decade each season. He’s only set to earn $70.5 million for the balance of the 2020s, even factoring in the portion of an option buyout for 2029 that will be paid right away.
In short, Yelich could now be dealt, and the Brewers wouldn’t even have to send money to get the deal done. They might need to retain the obligation to pay his deferred salaries, but that’s easy money to manage. They wouldn’t get a lot back, but they’re good at getting something out of lottery-ticket prospects, and the main motivation for trading him would be freeing up both salary and playing time.
First, let’s examine whether this makes any sense. In 2025, Yelich was occasionally the Brewers’ best hitter, and he was certainly their most consistent presence in the top half of the lineup. It might sound strange to entertain trading him, because of what he still means to the Brewers’ run production—let alone what he means in the clubhouse or the community.
On the other hand, the Brewers need to infuse a bit more dynamism and projectable lethality in their offense, and those things are fading for Yelich. He was not the same base stealer in 2025 that he’d been for the previous two seasons. His average exit velocity was the lowest of his career; his average launch angle was his lowest since 2015. His strikeout rate rose, while his walk rate fell.
Suitors will see that, too, of course, but they’ll also see that he didn’t lose bat speed even in the return season from a serious operation on his back. They’ll wonder (fairly) if a different hitting coach could help Yelich tap more sustainably into his power, and if getting more rest would find him more productive and more prepared for the postseason than he looked in 2025. The Brewers can’t afford to have a player on such a salary playing less than every day when he’s healthy, but some teams who might take an interest in Yelich could.
Getting $22 million off their books for each of the next three seasons would give the Brewers some real spending power this winter, although they’d have to use most of it to replace Yelich. The question, as far as it goes at this moment, is whether the team would be able to land a more productive hitter than Yelich via free agency. There are some superb bats on this winter’s market, in Kyle Schwarber, Alex Bregman, Bo Bichette, and Pete Alonso. In various ways, each of these players is a good fit for the Brewers, but only if Yelich is moved.
A different question quickly moves to the fore, then: would Yelich accept a deal? Presumably, he’d only leave the Brewers if the new situation was very much to his liking; he wants to win a World Series. He’s not going to approve a trade to the Angels, for instance, despite being from Southern California.
As we enter the hot stove season, though, lots of teams could use a bat like Yelich’s in pursuit of a pennant. The Dodgers have space in their corner outfield spots and the freedom to let veterans take it easy for parts of the regular season. The Giants always need offensive help. The Padres might not be in position to take on the money, but then again, they badly need help in left field and at DH, and they can’t afford to spend even bigger on a player like Schwarber or Cody Bellinger. Depending on how they perceive their chances at top-tier free agents, the Blue Jays, the Phillies, or the Braves could get involved.
Yelich has been at the center of everything for Milwaukee, ever since his 2018 breakout. He probably wouldn’t want to leave, all things being equal. If the Brewers can find the right place for him and get his contract out of their budget, however, they might be right to move on from him. For very good teams who derive strength from their depth, it’s sometimes hard to find a place where it’s possible to get better. That’s the Crew’s situation, and trading Yelich might be one of the few options they have to keep progressing toward a World Series title.
