Braves reach 2-year deal with outfielder Mike Yastrzemski

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - The Atlanta Braves signed outfielder Mike Yastrzemski to a two-year deal, the team said Wednesday.

The contract is valued at $23 million and includes a third-year club option for 2028 worth $7 million with a $4 million buyout. Yastrzemski also agreed to donate 1 percent of his salary to the Atlanta Braves Foundation.

Yastrzemski, 35, spent last season with the San Francisco Giants and Kansas City Royals, tallying 17 homers, 46 RBIs and a .735 OPS across 146 games. After being dealt to Kansas City at the trade deadline, he posted a notable surge in production, hitting 14 doubles and nine homers in 50 games, compared to 14 doubles and eight homers in his previous 96 games with San Francisco.

Yastrzemski, who finished eighth in MVP voting in 2020, had been a mainstay for the Giants from his debut in 2019 until the trade.

A two-time Gold Glove finalist, Yastrzemski brings steady defense and left-handed pop to the Braves.

With Jurickson Profar, Michael Harris II and Ronald Acuña Jr. entrenched in the outfield, Yastrzemski figures to slot in as a backup outfielder alongside Eli White and serve as a left-handed designated hitter option, likely rotating with catchers Drake Baldwin and Sean Murphy.

The Winter Meetings have concluded, and the Braves have remained relatively quiet aside from acquiring infielder Mauricio Dubón from the Houston Astros and re-signing closer Raisel Iglesias. With Yastrzemski now in the fold, it remains unclear whether the Braves will move forward with Dubón as their starting shortstop or pursue another bat.

Yastrzemski is the grandson of Hall of Famer Carl Yastrzemski.