The New York Yankees cut loose some dead weight in Jacoby Ellsbury but he might be drawing interest from a National League team.
Yes, you all read that right; a team is interested in Jacoby Ellsbury, who was just released by the New York Yankees.
A team. A baseball team. In the sport of Major League Baseball.
Man, this has definitely been a pretty weird week.
Per Jon Heyman of MLB Network, the Chicago Cubs have expressed interest in the prospect of getting Jacoby Ellsbury for the 2020 season.
Cubs have considered/discussed Jacoby Ellsbury. Probably a long shot but Cubs have a leadoff issue and Ellsbury is a surprise free agent after being released. JE hasn’t played in 2 years so before moving forward they’d want to gauge his interest/mindset.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) January 17, 2020
Slow your roll for now. It seems that this is an incredibly unlikely scenario. But, then again, we all thought the same thing when the Yankees actually released Ellsbury from his massive contract. Now, the Chicago Cubs might be searching for a leadoff man.
Ellsbury certainly has experience in that role. In his lengthy career, Ellsbury primarily batted in the leadoff position. In 843 games, he batted .282, a .414 slugging percentage and clubbed 70 home runs.
You can guarantee that Ellsbury was likely not at the top of the list for the Cubs but a surprise free agent, he is definitely an option for a team lacking in leadoff depth.
Not because he can’t play but Jacoby Ellsbury has a notorious injury history. Not only that, but he missed the last two seasons due to lingering, concerning injuries. They certainly won’t be dishing out millions in cash to bring him in but if the price is right, an experienced leadoff might be worth the risk for the Cubs.
In his career, Ellsbury has only played in four games at Wrigley Field so the stats aren’t even relevant. Right now it’s that Ellsbury fits a need that the Cubs currently have. That’s all.
But wouldn’t this be something? The baseball landscape is burning and Jacoby Ellsbury might have a shot at starting for a professional baseball team come April.
If you predicted that, I guarantee now is the time to purchase some lottery tickets.
