Here's Why Christian Yelich's Reported Contract With Brewers Isn't Good for the MLBPA

Milwaukee Brewers fans were delighted by the news that Christian Yelich signed an extension that keeps him with the team for the next decade. The deal is worth just over $200 million and it appears the Brewers got an extremely team-friendly bargain.

The extension is not yet official, but once it goes through, it may be a concern for the MLBPA.

The money is the first glaring concern for the players. Yelich essentially lowered the market for comparable players with his deal. He's 28 years old and finished second in MVP voting in 2019 after winning the award in 2018. Someone of his skill level and age would likely fetch somewhere in the $250-300 million range on the open market.

The deal is also a bit misleading because it did not cancel out the final two years of his current contract (at least that's what we know at the moment). It's essentially a seven-year deal for $188.5 million, which averages out to $26.8 million per season. It's certainly not bad, but there's certainly money lost here for the players.

Yelich also signed this deal after suffering a fractured kneecap that cut his 2019 season short. His value wasn't truly at its peak given the circumstances.

The goal of the MLBPA is to get players the most money possible. Yelich not testing the free agent market appeared to be more about him just wanting to stay in Milwaukee and find security as soon as possible, which nobody can fault him for, but this will inevitably be a topic of discussion once the deal is finalized.

Yelich has arguably been the best player in the sport over the last two years and he's making the 18th-highest salary in the league (based on his average) in 2020. While it's not completely baffling, it does leave some cause for concern for the players.