Report: Unhappy Yelich willing to let Marlins explain themselves
The Miami Marlins are obviously moving in the direction of a rebuild, but whether or not their future contains Christian Yelich remains to be seen.
Yelich is "unhappy" with the Marlins after they traded Giancarlo Stanton, Marcell Ozuna, and Dee Gordon in an attempt to shed payroll, but the outfielder is willing to give the team's front office a chance to explain its rebuilding plan before assessing his future, reports ESPN's Jerry Crasnick.
Yelich spoke with Marlins president of baseball operations Michael Hill earlier this offseason and expects to have a follow-up conversation this week out of respect for the organization, according to one of Crasnick's sources.
Last week, after the Marlins traded Ozuna to the St. Louis Cardinals, conflicting reports surfaced regarding Yelich's future in Miami, but Marlins officials have privately mentioned he's not in play, according to Crasnick.
The 26-year-old would be attractive to several clubs in need of a young, controllable, and productive player. During his five seasons in the majors, Yelich has won a Gold Glove and a Silver Slugger award, and also owns a .290/.369/.432 slash line with 59 home runs, 146 doubles, and 293 RBIs.
He isn't eligible for free agency until 2022 and is guaranteed $26.5 million.
Earlier on Monday, catcher J.T. Realmuto reportedly requested a trade from the Marlins.