On April 30, Mike Yastrzemski hit a towering home run off San Diego Padres reliever Jason Adam during an otherwise unremarkable 5-3 loss for the San Francisco Giants. This has become routine to Giants fans who have become avid enjoyers of the Mike Yastrzemksi experience over the past seven years. Yaz is a beloved fan favorite and has been the standard bearer of the Giants franchise through some downtimes. However, this season could be his last in the black and orange.
Could Mike Yastrzemski’s Time with the Giants Be Running Short?
Giants Lifer
Mike Yastrzemksi debuted unusually late for a major leaguer. Even with the prestige from his Hall of Fame grandfather’s last name, he still played four years in college and was only drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the 14th round (429th overall) in 2009. Things weren’t looking great for Yaz’s career after spending five years in the minor leagues. He sustained serious injuries, causing him to miss a large portion of the 2017 season. The Red Sox dumped him off to the Giants in exchange for a minor league pitcher who never played in the bigs. Then, something magical happened. Yaz started raking. He started 2019 off to a hot start in Triple-A and quickly came up to the bigs. Once there, he established himself as the cornerstone of the Giants outfield, a position he still holds in 2025.
The early 2020s was a time of transition for the Giants, as the fan favorites from the glory days of the early 2010s championships retired and new players were brought in to replace them. It also wasn’t a good time for the Giants, win-loss-wise, as they were below .500 in five of Yaz’s first six seasons. Throughout this time of turmoil and loss, the one constant was Yaz. Giants fans knew he was good for 20-ish home runs a year and above-average hitting and defense.
Beyond just that, Yaz always had a knack for stepping up in the big moment. Every season, Yaz is good for a few walk-offs such as his extra-innings walk-off homer against the Cincinnati Reds on April 9th this year and his walk-off splash hit against the Padres on June 19, 2023. There have been five walk-off splash hits in Oracle Park history, and three of them have been by Mike Yastrzemksi. Due to his consistency and clutch factor, chants of “Yaz! Yaz! Yaz!” are common to hear ringing out through Oracle Park on game days. He has been the archetypal Giants lifer for his entire career, but it may not stay that way.
SPLASH HIT WALK-OFF HOME RUN
Mike Yastrzemski wins it for the @SFGiants! pic.twitter.com/FZsdVOd94B
— MLB (@MLB) April 9, 2025
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Uncertain Future for Yaz
Before this season, Yaz finished out his six-year rookie contract with the Giants and signed a one-year, $9.25 million contract to remain with the franchise. Unfortunately, his late arrival to the majors means that only seven years into his career, he’s already 34 years old and turning 35 this August. The opinion in the front office is that he has already hit his peak and will decline soon. While the stats don’t necessarily bear that out, he is definitely on the wrong side of the aging curve and ballplayers don’t tend to hit their stride in their mid-to-late 30s.
Furthermore, the Giants already have a young core of talented outfielders ready to take his spot. Between Heliot Ramos, Jung Hoo Lee, and Luis Matos, the Giants have a strong group of outfielders on long-term contracts. Manager Bob Melvin apparently wants to keep Matos, Ramos, and Lee as his everyday outfield. The only reason he hasn’t done so is that Yaz’s hot start to 2025 forced Melvin to start him. This means that Yaz’s spot is disappearing quickly. The rumors within the organization are that he will be traded soon. If he does leave, it will be the end of an era for the Giants franchise.
A Personal Last Word on Mike Yastrzemksi
I am a fan of the Giants and have been my entire life. However, during the pandemic is when I really started to get into baseball. Because of this, Mike Yastrzemksi has been the face of the franchise for most of my time as a fan. He has been the model of consistency and clutch throughout his seven years with the organization. He has been the standard-bearer, keeping the hope alive for some rough seasons for the franchise.
I know it might be improbable, but I hope the organization can keep him around next season. If they can’t, then I will continue to root for him wherever he goes (unless it’s the Dodgers). If this really is his last season with the Giants, I hope he gets to end it on a high note with a great season and a playoff berth. The Bay will always love Yaz, no matter what the future holds.
Photo Credit: © Matt Krohn-Imagn Images
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