Mike Yastrzemski proved to be a terrific pickup for the Royals last summer. But he won’t be returning in Royals blue.
The Braves signed Yastrzemski to a two-year, $23 million deal, according to ESPN reporter Jeff Passan. The contract includes a third-year club option. The Royals acquired Yastrzemski for pitcher Yunior Marte at the July trade deadline last year to address their offensive woes in the outfield. He performed well down the stretch, hitting .237/.339/.500 with nine home runs in 50 games with solid defense. The 35-year-old has posted an above-average OPS+ in six of his seven MLB seasons, including last year when he hit .233/.333/.403 overall for a 109 OPS+.
The Braves had an outfield of Jurickson Profar, Michael Harris III, and Ronald Acuña Jr. last year, so adding Yaz likely moves Profar to DH. J.J. Picollo had indicated he was open to bringing Yastrzemski back, praising his clubhouse presence last year.
The Royals face a thin free agent outfield market that now has one less option. Ken Rosenthal has reported they would like to add two outfielders – one via trade and one via free agency. In recent days, they have been attached to free agents like Austin Hays, Lane Thomas, and JJ Bleday, and in trade talks surrounding Jarren Duran, Brendan Donovan, and Jake Meyers.
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