New York Yankees: Jacoby Ellsbury linked to the San Francisco Giants

The rumor mill continues to churn, this time bringing to the surface talks of Jacoby Ellsbury being traded from the New York Yankees.

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The last time Jacoby Ellsbury stepped on the field for the New York Yankees, dinosaurs roamed the earth.

Okay, that’s a severe exaggeration but you get the point. Jacoby Ellsbury has been a thorn in the side of the Yankees ever since his signing in 2014. Now the Yankees are in discussions to potentially trade the oft-injured outfielder.

According to ESPN’s Buster Olney, the latest discussions over a potential Jacoby Ellsbury trade have come from the San Francisco Giants.

As SF has canvassed the market for OF help, they've talked about Jacoby Ellsbury, probably would be open to a bad contract swap. For example, speculation: Cueto owed $68m, coming back from TJ surgery; NYY could recoup insurance in '19. Ellsbury owed $48m. $ would have to even out

— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) February 4, 2019

Embrace the rumors, Yankees fans. If this one pans out, the Yankees might actually get something in return for Ellsbury, which would be far better than simply cutting him.

Olney also reports the possibility of the Yankees doing a contract swap for starter Johnny Cueto. The 32-year-old is coming off Tommy John surgery after a few injury-plagued seasons.

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Swapping one injured player for another. Hmm, interesting concept.

However, the Yankees already have a crowded outfield. With Brett Gardner signing a one-year deal, Clint Frazier coming up through the ranks, Aaron Hicks holding down center field and Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge holding down right field, there is essentially no room for Ellsbury on the roster.

As Ellsbury has aged, his stats have only gotten worse. In his four seasons on the Yankees, he’s posted a .264/.330/.386 line, a far cry from his massive success in Boston. At the time of the signing, it was considered a steal. Today, it’s looking like a failure.

But if the Yankees could get something in return, even if it is an aging, injured pitcher, it would be a win for them. Maybe it’ll teach them down the line to not make such risky signings in the future.

Can the Yankees pull off the unthinkable? They were able to get a solid return from the Sonny Gray trade. Maybe Jacoby Ellsbury is the next piece to leave the Bronx. Fans can only hope so.

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