Beloved former SF Giants outfielder finds a new home with the Atlanta Braves

The SF Giants have a hole in right field and it is not going to be filled by fan-favorite Mike Yastrzemski as he has signed with the Atlanta Braves in free agency. The Giants will have to look elsewhere to figure things out in right field.

Yastrzemski signed a two-year, $23 million contract with Atlanta with a club option for a third season. That is a pretty nice deal for the 35-year-old coming off a solid 2026 season. He had a solid offensive showing after being traded from the Giants to the Kansas City Royals and has now cashed in on that.

SF Giants fan favorite Mike Yastrzemski signs with Braves

Yastrzemski hit nine home runs in 50 games with Kansas City which was more than the eight homers he hit with the Giants in 96 games. Part of that certainly had to do with playing fewer games at Oracle Park, but it was certainly noteworthy that he had a power surge after leaving the Giants.

Going to Atlanta is probably a good fit for him since Truist Park is fairly hitter-friendly and the ball can fly there. It would not be a huge shock if Yastrzemski hits over 20 home runs next season in a throwback to some of his earlier seasons with the Giants.

Yastrzemski endeared himself to many Giants fans with the way he played the game as a member of the team from 2019 to 2025. His hustle and great defense were the hallmarks of his game and even though he was never as great of a hitter as it seemed like he could be, he always had some pop in his bat and had some very memorable walk-off homers at Oracle Park over the years.

The Giants are still looking for someone to replace the production Yastrzemski put up. They had an open audition last season after trading Yastrzemski but none of the players who saw time in right field really grabbed hold of the position and ran with it.

San Francisco may add a right fielder either via trade or in free agency, or they may just decide to roll with some of the younger options like Drew Gilbert and Luis Matos or maybe go with a platoon approach by pairing Gilbert with someone like Joey Wiemer who was recently picked up in a minor trade.

No matter what, let's hope Yastrzemski has success in his new home and let's also hope that the Giants find a way to get solid production from whoever is in right field in 2026.