The Braves signed outfielder Mike Yastrzemski to a two-year contract worth $23 million, the club announced on Wednesday night.
Yastrzemski will earn $9 million in 2026 and $10 million in 2027. The deal includes a club option worth $7 million for the 2028 season, with a $4 million buyout.
To make room on the roster, the Braves designated outfielder Michael Siani for assignment.
Yastrzemski, 35, had an intriguing second half to his 2025 season after being traded at the Deadline. His batting average and on-base percentage with the Royals following the trade (.237, .339) were nearly identical to his numbers with the Giants (.231, .330). But his power numbers saw a significant boost: The veteran outfielder hit 14 doubles and nine homers in 50 games in Kansas City, compared to 14 doubles and eight homers in his previous 96 in San Francisco. That resulted in a 145-point spike in his slugging percentage (.355 before the trade, .500 after), bringing his season slash line to .233/.333/.403.
Those 50 games were Yastrzemski’s first in the Majors not spent with the Giants, with whom he made his debut as a 28-year-old in 2019 after six years in the Orioles’ system. From his debut through the end of the shortened 2020 season, he played 161 games and hit .281/.375/.535 (136 OPS+) with seven triples, 31 home runs and 90 RBIs for the Giants and finished eighth in NL MVP voting in 2020.
Although he’s never quite matched that level of production since — he hit .227 with a .425 slugging percentage from 2021-25 — Yastrzemski remained a mainstay for the Giants until the time of the trade and still leads the club in games played, hits, doubles, triples, home runs, RBIs, walks and runs scored since his debut.
A definite fly ball hitter, Yastrzemski’s pull-side power played reasonably well even as a left-handed hitter at Oracle Park. Also notable is his long track record of strong defense in San Francisco, where he was twice named a Gold Glove finalist (2021, ’24) spending most of his time in a challenging right field. Yastrzemski’s 11 outfield assists in 2025 were also tied for third-most in baseball, trailing only Steven Kwan (13) and Jordan Beck (12), an MLB-high nine of which came before the All-Star break.
