Christian Yelich's $215M Brewers Contract Will Pay Him Deferred Money Until 2042

In a roundabout way, Christian Yelich will be a Milwaukee Brewer until 2042.

According to the Associated Press, the Brewers will be paying the All-Star outfielder's new nine-year extension worth up to $215 million until he turns 50 years old. Each year will see $4 million deferred from his $26 million annual salary from 2022 to 2028. 

The AP added: "The deal includes a $20 million mutual option for 2029 with a $6.5 million buyout, and $2 million of the buyout would be deferred." 

None of the 28-year-old's $12.5 million salary for 2020 and $14 million for '21—the same amount as what was set to be guaranteed from the $49.6 million contract he signed in March 2015 as a member of the Miami Marlins—will be deferred.

The Brewers announced Yelich's new contract on Friday:

And Yelich expressed his excitement to be staying in Milwaukee during an ensuing press conference:

The Marlins traded Yelich to Milwaukee in January 2018 in exchange for four prospects. The 2010 first-round pick went on to be named the 2018 National League MVP with a .326/.402/.598 slash line for 36 home runs and 110 RBI.

Last season, Yelich finished second in MVP voting to Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Cody Bellinger after a fractured kneecap cut his season to 130 regular-season games. Yelich finished 2019 with an NL-leading .329 batting average and MLB-leading .671 slugging percentage for 44 home runs and 97 RBI. 

Yelich led the Brewers to the postseason in 2018, the club's first playoff appearance since 2011, where they were ousted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in seven games during the NL Championship Series. Milwaukee made it back to the playoffs in 2019 but fell in a wild-card matchup with the eventual champion Washington Nationals.

How far the Brewers' 2020 campaign goes will depend heavily on Yelich, which is why the franchise invested so much to keep him in Milwaukee.

The regular-season opener will be on March 26 with the Chicago Cubs visiting Miller Park.