Outfielder Mike Yastrzemski has signed a two-year, $23 million contract to join the Atlanta Braves, the team announced Wednesday.
Yastrzemski, 35, comes from a Hall of Fame bloodline, but he’s made his own name as a righty-mashing corner outfielder. Since his debut in 2018, Yastrzemski ranks 42nd in the majors — ahead of some of the biggest names in the sport — with a 120 wRC+ against right-handed pitching. He did it again in 2025, posting a 126 wRC+ against righties and playing especially well after a trade deadline deal to the Kansas City Royals.
The lefty was listed at No. 35 on The Athletic’s Free Agent Big Board, where Tim Britton projected him to get a one-year, $11 million contract.
The grandson of Hall of Famer Carl Yastrzemski, Mike nearly gave up on his own career during a slow climb through the minor leagues, but he got a fresh opportunity with the San Francisco Giants and proved he belonged in the majors.
“I appreciate every day that I’m here,” Yastrzemski said this summer.
Despite his famous last name, Yastrzemski was never a massive prospect. His grandfather’s team, the Boston Red Sox, drafted Yastrzemski in the 36th round in 2009, but he chose to attend Vanderbilt instead, and he ultimately signed with the Baltimore Orioles as a 14th-round pick in 2013.
Five years later, he was still bouncing between Double A and Triple A with no major-league opportunity in sight. He considered quitting before his wife, Paige, reminded him of a promise that he’d play until someone ripped the jersey off his back.
It was a new jersey that gave him a fresh opportunity.
Traded to the Giants in the spring of 2019, Yastrzemski made his big-league debut two months later at 28 and was an instant hit in San Francisco. He hit 21 home runs as a rookie then finished eighth in MVP voting in 2020. According to Baseball Reference, he’s been worth between 2.0 WAR and 2.8 WAR each of his seven Major League seasons, a consistent source of production.
That consistency comes with a caveat. While Yastrzemski has been a top performer against right-handed pitching (.809 OPS in his career), he has struggled against lefties (.648 OPS), and those splits were especially pronounced in 2025. He continued last season to have an .809 OPS against righties but had just a .427 OPS against lefties. Yastrzemski is a platoon outfielder, but he’s on the strong side of the platoon, providing power and plate discipline. Although he’s played some center field, Yastrzemski is mostly a right fielder with modest speed and a good arm.
He has a famous name, but Yastrzemski has had to earn his own keep.
“I appreciate every single day,” he said. “Even on the worst days, I can find a way to sit down and say, ‘You know what, I’d rather punch out four times in the big leagues than hit four homers in the minor leagues.’”