ORLANDO — The Braves have added to their offense, signing outfielder Mike Yastrzemski on Wednesday as the winter meetings came to a close.
Yastrzemski’s deal is for two years, $23 million with a $7 million club option ($4 million buyout) for 2028. The veteran will make $9 million this season and $10 million in 2027.
It’s a healthy deal for the 35-year-old Yastrzemski, who’s hit righties well in his career. He spent last season split between the Giants and Royals, hitting .233 with 17 homers and 46 RBIs. Notably, he had a .256 average with a .809 OPS in 454 plate appearances against right-handers, while hitting just .138 with a .427 OPS against southpaws (104 plate appearances).
His 2.8 bWAR was the best of his career. Yastrzemski was particularly effective after getting traded to the Royals at the deadline, posting a .839 OPS in 50 games.
Yastrzemski, the grandson of Hall of Famer Carl Yastrzemski, has a defined role. While the Braves have remained focused on bolstering their pitching staff, they’ve consistently said they’d benefit from adding another bat. It wasn’t clear where that fit could be, though, outside of adding another shortstop. This move, and particularly the price point, might perplex some, given the team’s structure.
The Braves’ starting outfield is already set with Jurickson Profar, Michael Harris II and Ronald Acuña Jr. But Yastrzemski adds to the team’s depth while furthering options for new manager Walt Weiss.
The Braves intend to rotate the designated hitter role among their everyday players (including catchers Sean Murphy and Drake Baldwin). They’ve used an everyday DH in recent years with Marcell Ozuna, but the veteran slugger is a free agent and likely won’t be re-signed.
This is a boost to the Braves’ position-player depth, and there’s no question as to what Yastrzemski provides in his role. He can play all three outfield positions and has spent most of his time in right field. So he gives the Braves more flexibility in how they want to approach matchups.
Yastrzemski is also a well-respected teammate and known for his professionalism. He’s expected to fit seamlessly in the Braves’ clubhouse.
Yastrzemski spent his first seven-and-a-half seasons with San Francisco. He’s hit .238 with a .772 OPS over eight seasons. This marks a return to the South as Yastrzemski played collegiately at Vanderbilt in Nashville, Tennessee.
The Braves had already addressed several needs this winter. They acquired defensive wiz Mauricio Dubon from Houston. Dubon is a legitimate candidate to start at shortstop should the team fail to acquire an alternative. Weiss expressed confidence Tuesday that Dubon could handle the position every day.
Closer Raisel Iglesias re-signed for one year, $16 million, filling another crucial vacancy. The Braves need to add additional relief help, especially after declining team options on veterans Pierce Johnson and Tyler Kinley.
The team has also sought another starter. President of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos has stated his optimism around the health of multiple once-ailing starters, including Grant Holmes, Reynaldo Lopez and Spencer Schwellenbach, but the Braves have explored adding another rotation piece — and that includes potentially acquiring one of the coveted top-of-the-market impact starters.
The Braves have added $25 million to their 2026 payroll in retaining Iglesias and signing their new outfielder. The team has touted its financial flexibility entering the winter, so there’s space to fill its other needs.
About the Author
Gabriel Burns is a general assignment reporter and features writer for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. After four years on the Braves beat, he's expanded his horizons and covers all sports. You'll find him writing about MLB, NFL, NBA, college football and other Atlanta-centric happenings.
