Brewers Three-Time All-Star Ranked Among 'Worst MLB Contracts'

What's next for the Brewers?

Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Christian Yelich (22) rounds first base after hitting a single during the third inning of their game against the Pittsburgh Pirates Wednesday, July 10, 2024 at American Family Field in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. / Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Milwaukee Brewers will enter the 2025 season hoping to build off of the momentum from the 2024 campaign.

Milwaukee won 93 games and finished atop the National League Central standings to the surprise of many. The Brewers made some big changes ahead of the season, including cutting ties with Corbin Burnes in a trade with the Baltimore Orioles. Manager Craig Counsell also left the organization.

While this is the case, the Brewers found ways to win games. Milwaukee has a lot of talent and it didn't hurt that outfielder Christian Yelich looked like a Most Valuable Player candidate and earned his third All-Star nod before a back injury ended his season after appearing in 73 games.

Yelich clubbed 11 home runs, drove in 42 runs, and slashed .315/.406/.504 before his season was ended prematurely.

Despite his solid play in 2024, Bleacher Report's Joel Reuter had him ranked at No. 8 on a list of 10 players with the worst contracts in Major League Baseball.

"His production cratered during the shortened 2020 season, and he tallied just 4.3 WAR over the first three seasons of that shiny new contract, but he has returned to being an impact offensive player the last two years," Reuter said. "The 32-year-old was an All-Star this past season for the first time since 2019, hitting .315/.406/.504 for a 151 OPS+ in 315 plate appearances before undergoing season-ending back surgery in August.

"For a team like the Brewers on a tight budget, having Yelich account for more than 30 percent of their $70.8 million payroll in 2024 was simply too big of a piece of the pie. That will continue to be the case in the coming years."

Hopefully, he can able to return to form in 2025 and show again why he is one of the better outfielders in the National League.

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