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Christian Yelich doesn’t want to be a Miami Marlin anymore. The 26-year-old outfielder’s agent made that much clear when he told ESPN that Yelich’s relationship with the Marlins was “irretrievably broken” and that it was in the best interests of both sides to part ways. According to his agent, Joe Longo, Yelich isn’t interested in being a part of the Marlins’ rebuilding process because he’s “in the best years of his career.”
The Marlins shouldn’t care, and they shouldn’t trade
Regardless of the team’s plan, Longo has made it clear Yelich doesn’t want to be part of the team. He even went as far as alluding that Yelich might skip Fan Fest next month at Marlins Park — as if that’s some sort of bargaining chip that has the Marlins brass up at night wondering what to do.
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Yelich isn’t alone in disagreeing with some of the moves the new Marlins’ owners have made since they bought the team. It’s understandable that he’s upset the Fish are set to begin yet another rebuild this offseason, and the first moves they made in ripping down the old team were trading away some of Yelich’s favorite teammates, including Dee Gordon and Marcell Ozuna.
Yelich probably feels betrayed, but he shouldn’t. The Marlins have done right by him since drafting him. In 2015, they didn’t have to offer him a new seven-year, $50 million deal, and he certainly wasn’t obligated to take it. He did, though, because at the time he was a 23-year-old with one season of hitting .284 with nine homers and 54 RBIs on his resumé. The Marlins invested in him because they believed in him. He owes it to them to invest in their process now, no matter how much he disagrees with it.
Yelich is only 26. He’s not a 32-year-old veteran with only so much time left. If the Marlins want to build an amazing organization that puts an elite product on the field in 2020, why wouldn’t Yelich want to be a part of it? What’s the rush to go somewhere else? There is no guarantee of winning games anywhere. Jumping ship because your feelings got hurt is one thing, but acting like you can’t be bothered to be the cornerstone of a rebuild in Miami is another.
It’s time for Yelich to return the favor the Marlins gave him when they showed they believed in him and gave him a fat new contract.
