The only way a Yelich extension makes sense is for him to get new money in 2020, 2021 and 2022 and the only way it makes sense for the Brewers to extend is if it adds about 3 years to the end of the current deal. In other words, Yelich is currently signed for 3 years $41.5 million. If the Brewers were to offer a 3 year extension for say $150 million, but were able to spread that additional $150 million over the next six years instead of the last three, Yelich's contract would become 6 years $191.5 million. Yelich gets new money over the next three years and an annual salary on par with Harper, Machado, etc. The Brewers get Yelich for three additional years.

Would he sign that? I don't know. Would he be tempted? I would think so given he will be coming into his age 31 season when he becomes a FA. Would the Brewers offer it? I don't know.

While I am a proponent of trading for Arenado, I do agree with this sentiment. I just think a lot of Brewer fans, casual and diehards, are sick of the economics of baseball where the Brewers can not only not trade for a player like Arenado, but are also unlikely to be able to afford their franchise cornerstone in Yelich.

A day of reckoning is coming for this sport and I think it is coming sooner than later.

Keep in mind this is just my opinion. I absolutely love baseball and yet I am becoming less tolerant of MLB's inactivity toward fixing the economic inequalities between small and large markets and overreactions to appease casual fans.

In regard to economics, Yelich should finish his career as a Brewer. However, the economics of baseball preclude this from occurring. Unlike the NBA or NFL where the Bucks can offer Giannis the most money and the Packers can keep Aaron Rodgers for his entire career, the Brewers and other small markets constantly lose the Yelichs and Coles of the sport to the Yankees, Dodgers and Red Sox of the sport. I am tired of it and I think other fans are losing interest in the sport because of it. Going a step further, talking to friends, coworkers, colleagues, etc, that don't live in Wisconsin and the only diehard fans of MLB anymore are fans of large market teams. I can't find a Royal, Rockie, Pirate, Ray, Mariner, Indian fan to save my life. Whereas in my group of closest friends I have live and die with the outcome of the game fans of the Chiefs, Raiders, 49ers, Packers, Broncos, Lions and Dolphins. I firmly attribute this to all teams being on equal economic footing.

In regard to the overreactions to appease casual fans, I'm fine with the four finger intentional walk. However, the idea of pitch clocks, mound visit limitations, three batter minimum, etc...just stop. Not everyone loves baseball and that is fine. Why change it for the people that spend the most on consuming the sport? You don't see soccer trying to force more scoring by changing the rules to accommodate Americans that find it boring.

I know this may come off as soapbox, but I just see a day coming soon where fans like all of us become so disgusted by watching the sport that we loved so much be changed so substantially by rule changes and being disgusted by watching Yankees-Dodgers World Series year after year.

Rant over.