MLB trade rumors: Brewers acquire Christian Yelich

The Milwaukee Brewers have made possibly the biggest trade of the offseason, acquiring outfielder Christian Yelich from the Miami Marlins.

Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic was the first to report that the Milwaukee Brewers have traded for Miami Marlins outfielder Christian Yelich. The Brewers have confirmed the report on Twitter.

Yelich has reportedly been unhappy with the way new Marlins management has handled the offsesaon and desired to be moved. As soon as news of Yelich’s dissatisfaction broke, he became one of the most coveted players on the trade market.

The Brewers ended up being one of the biggest surprises in the league last season. They won 86 games, finishing second in the NL Central while just barely missing out on a wild card spot in the postseason.

Part of what made Yelich such a desirable player is the fact that he’s cost-controlled. Just 26 years old, Yelich will be under team control with the Brewers for five years and is due to make $58.25 million over that time.

In exchange for Yelich, the Marlins will be receiving the following Milwaukee prospects: outfielders Lewis Brinson and Monte Harrison, infielder Isan Diaz and right-handed pitcher Jordan Yamamoto.  This is an impressive haul for the Marlins, as Diaz, Lewis and Brinson were all top-10 prospects in the Brewers’ organization.

For the Brewers, this move brings them even closer to the Chicago Cubs as they gear up to make a postseason run. Last season, Yelich slashed .282/.369/.439 with 18 home runs and 81 RBI. Yelich finished with a batting average of .284 or better in each of his five seasons with the Marlins.

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With Yelich as their new center fielder, the Brewers are now a real threat to win the NL Central. Yelich is a career .290 hitter.