If the New York Yankees look to part ways with a current clog in their future game plan, it will take heavy negotiating with the correct organizations.
Enigmatic. That — of all words in the english language — is perhaps the best way to describe Jacoby Ellsbury’s first three years with the New York Yankees.
Flashes of brilliance and prolonged slumps that constantly infuriate fans. Tremendous aggressiveness and a lack of urgency. The bipolar nature of his performance often creates questions as to why $153 million was invested in his services.
While the 33-year-old certainly brings positives to the table, and plays a more than stellar center field, his contract screams the word mistake. A seven-year deal for an injury prone body and an inconsistent bat.
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So, yes, it is more on the Yankees than it is on Ellsbury. They offered him the money, he took it, and he continues to perform to the best of his ability. The misjudged ability that any general manager in baseball would have rolled the dice on prior to 2014.
With that said, what’s done is done. Throughout his tenure in the Bronx, the former AL MVP runner-up has never recorded an on-base percentage north of .330, maintained to a batting average above .271, or flirted with the 20 home run mark many thought he would conquer with the short porch in right field.
Most importantly, he has stolen a miserable 41 bases since the start of 2015 — only two more than his total (39) in his inaugural season in pinstripes.
Long story short, with a brilliant youth movement taking place, featuring the forthcoming emergence of Clint Frazier, the Yankees need to take a serious look at dumping Ellsbury. Based on the prior description, not many franchises will see a point in spending a fortune on underperformance.
However, if the Yankees eat a sizable portion of the money, the bar will be set far lower, inducing a clean slate and a raw look at the positives he brings to the table.
What could be a telling move requires the correct partner. So, without further adieu, here are three teams that — in all likelihood — would be willing to talk business if Brian Cashman met their financial needs.
Moving into a brand new ballpark, the Atlanta Braves’ sole interest is buzz.
What will bring fans to the stadium? That is their chief concern heading into the offseason. With Nick Markakis in right and Matt Kemp — who was acquired mid-season in 2016 — capable of fortifying left field on a daily basis, Ellsbury can slide perfectly into center, creating an outfield worthy of attention.
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The Yankees and Braves have already been rumored as potential partners in a Brian McCann swap, which would also require New York picking up much of the remaining salary on his five-year deal. This would be no different.
With that said, if the Yanks were able to get Ellsbury to pack his bags, reeling in mid-tier value at the very least, they would be ecstatic. If Brian Cashman and John Coppolella began to talk, and the idea was planted, the deal would not seem so far-fetched.
With Carlos Beltran and Carlos Gomez likely out of the picture, Shin-Soo Choo serving as a mainstay in right, and Nomar Mazara unable to play two positions at once, the Rangers have an outfield vacancy to address. This is primarily due to the fact that Ian Desmond will have high demands in free agency.
If the Yankees and Rangers can work out a mutually beneficial deal, it would provide Ellsbury with a ballpark to thrive in, possibly increasing his performance in a warmer climate.
This would not be the first time New York and Texas partnered up to make a deal involving two big names — or contracts, for that matter. Prior to the 2004 season, Alex Rodriguez and Alfonso Soriano were involved in a blockbuster deal that evolved rapidly in the following years.
Somehow, the two sides were able to work it out.
If Jon Daniels were to provide the Yankees with more young pitching, as he did with Dillon Tate in the Beltran deal, an overwhelming majority of Ellsbury’s owed money would be covered.
It is no secret that Seattle is in desperate need of outfield reinforcements and, more importantly, speed. In 2016, the Mariners ranked 24th in baseball (56) in the stolen bases department.
One of the reasons they came up short of an extremely realistic second wild card spot was their inability to consistently manufacture runs. In other words, there was a heavy reliance on the home run — a category in which they ranked third in the league (223).
Should the Mariners acquire Ellsbury from the Yankees, they would need to let him loose and instill the concept of running on the first pitch. If that were to be the case, the speedy center fielder could nearly match the club’s total from last year.
With Seth Smith hitting free agency, two of their three outfield slots — if you mark Nelson Cruz down as a DH — are up for grabs.
Given that Robinson Cano is currently locked up in a 10-year contact, the M’s are not unfamiliar with extremely large deals. Four years of Ellsbury at a $21 million clip — the Yankees would likely have to cover more than half — would be a cakewalk.
The Mariners are the most likely team that Ellsbury would waive his no trade clause for since he is from the Seattle Area and went to college in Oregon.
Simply eating half the money is the simplest way to provide trade equity but speculating on taking back bad contracts and/or giving up prospects to achieve trade equity would have made a much more interesting article.
As far as the Mariners go, only two contracts are comparable since Kyle Seager is performing well: Robinson Cano and Felix Hernandez. No way will the Yankees take back Cano with all the promising middle infield prospects they have. I doubt the Mariners are ready to give up on Felix this soon but might by July.