It has been nearly eight years since the Milwaukee Brewers entered a trade with the Miami Marlins to acquire left fielder Christian Yelich. Since then, Yelich has become a pillar in Milwaukee’s success.
Because of the caliber of player Yelich has mostly been for the Brewers, Bleacher Report recently listed the trade as one of the most lopsided of the Major League Baseball offseason in the last decade.
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“At the time, this looked like a reasonable return package for Christian Yelich, with Lewis Brinson (No. 18) and Monte Harrison (No. 75) both ranked among baseball’s Top 100 prospects, while Isan Diaz was also in the conversation,” it wrote.
“Yelich then immediately became one of the best players in baseball, winning the 2018 NL MVP and finishing runner-up in the balloting in 2019 while winning the NL batting title both years and averaging 40 home runs, 104 RBI, 26 steals and 7.2 WAR. He has not reached those heights since that impressive two-year peak but has still racked up 27.5 WAR over eight seasons in Milwaukee as a franchise cornerstone for a perennial contender.”
Brinson, 31, played four seasons in Miami before spending the 2022 season with the San Francisco Giants. It would be his last season in MLB as he appeared in just 16 games and hit .167. During his time in a Marlins uniform, Brinson never hit above a .226 average.
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Harrison’s path was very intriguing. After two seasons with Miami and one with the Los Angeles Angels, Harrison ceased his MLB career to become a walk-on receiver for the Arkansas Razorbacks at 28 years old.
Diaz played three seasons for the Marlins before stints with the Giants and the Detroit Tigers concluded his MLB career. Meanwhile, Jordan Yamamoto, a right-hander, appeared in just 19 games with Miami before a two-game stint with the Giants. He is also no longer in MLB.
Last season, Yelich played in 150 regular season games and logged a .264 batting average with 29 home runs, his highest home run total since 2019. Chronic back issues and other injuries have hampered Yelich in recent years, but Milwaukee’s choice to trade for him looks like a massive win in hindsight.
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