Brewers: 3 Good Things That Happened To The Crew In 2020

2. Brewers Ink Two Young Players To Contract Extensions

Just a week before baseball shut down, the Brewers finalized a contract extension with superstar outfielder Christian Yelich.

Yelich signed a nine year, $215MM contract with seven years and $188.5MM in new money added on to the end of his current deal. He’ll earn $26MM a year from 2022 through 2028 with a $20MM mutual option for 2029.

This deal ensures Yelich will be a Brewer through at least his age-36 season and he’s likely to remain a Brewer for the rest of his career.

Yes, Yelich struggled in 2020 offensively, but with all the extenuating circumstances of the season, his stats this year are not a sign that the Brewers will end up regretting this deal. Yelich is too good of a hitter for 2020 to be the norm going forward, and his numbers in 2018 and 2019 proved that.

The Brewers kept their star player through the last decade when they signed Ryan Braun to not one, but two contract extensions, and now that Braun is nearing or at the end of his career, Yelich will keep baseball relevant in Milwaukee for the next decade.

For a franchise like the Brewers to be able to keep these kinds of star players for the long haul, it’s a great thing for the game of baseball.

Just a little bit before Yelich signed his massive contract, Freddy Peralta signed a contract extension of his own. His was for five years and $15.5MM and keeps him with the Brewers through at least 2024 with a pair of club options for 2025 and 2026.

Peralta’s deal is back-loaded, but the AAV of $3.1MM is very team-friendly, especially if Peralta develops into the frontline starting pitcher potential he has. He hasn’t established himself in the rotation yet, but he can be a No. 2-type starter if he gets his consistency figured out. He took some steps in the right direction in 2020 but didn’t firmly put himself in the rotation.

Even if Peralta doesn’t reach his ceiling as a starter, he can work well as a high-leverage reliever, and for an AAV of $3.1MM, that’s not bad. The price isn’t high for the floor role that Peralta would fill, but if he reaches his ceiling, it’s an absolute bargain.

For Peralta, he gets a life-changing amount of money and is able to take care of his family for generations to come. It’s a win-win for all involved.