How Do You Solve A Problem Like Jacoby?

Signing Jacoby Ellsbury to a seven year $153 million contract before the 2014 season stands out as one of the worst moves in Yankees general manager Brian Cashman’s otherwise solid recent history.

Jacoby Ellsbury actually looks really good in a Yankees uniform.  Especially the road grays, for some reason.  He just looks the epitome of cool, sort of like Johnny Damon before him.  The fact that both players previously and immediately before played with the Red Sox is not lost on me either.  But Ells looks better in his current garb anyway.

Unfortunately, there is not many other nice things I can add.  His primary game was running, and stealing bases, but he no longer does that.  His batting average of .258 coming into Monday night’s game is well below his career average with the BoSox, which was .297 over 7 seasons, and is currently one point better than he did all of last year.  Which isn’t much, as he played in 30 less games in 2015 due to injury.

If that weren’t bad enough, he makes $21 million next year, rendering him almost impossible to move.  The Yankees say that they want to get younger, move in another direction.  They have a surplus of outfielders on their way up, which means someone will probably have to move. That player would most likely be Brett Gardner, whose contract is much more team friendly and has proven more durable.

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I know it isn’t my money, so it’s easy for someone like myself to suggest the team trade him away and pay the remainder of his salary, just to get him off of the team.  The Yankee front office, however, isn’t going to make that decision. Besides, what if it comes back to haunt them?  What if Ellsbury, somewhere down the line gets a crucial hit against the Yankees in an important game, on their dime?  It would be almost unbearable.

More than likely, Ells was probably not even in the Yankees plans when he was signed prior to the 2014 season.  After losing Robinson Cano over the dollar amount and length of contract he was seeking, the Bombers were left scrambling for something to give their fans.

They sold it as a one-two combination at the top of the lineup.  Teamed with Brett Gardner, we were presented an image of the Yankees running circles around other teams, creating runs and causing chaos to opposing pitchers. The power coming from the middle of the lineup would just be icing on the cake.

However, things didn’t exactly turn out that way.  Perhaps, even with Cano departing, the Yankees would have been better off re-signing Curtis Granderson, who took full advantage of the right-center field jet stream that could turn ordinary fly balls into home runs.  Sure, he struck out a little too much, but he was durable and had the speed when it was needed.  Instead, the Yankees are stuck with a former all-star that nobody wants.

Several years ago, the Red Sox were able to dump some of their undesirable players and their large contracts on the Los Angeles Dodgers, simply because the Dodgers desperately wanted the Sox first baseman, Adrian Gonzalez.  Could their be an opposing general manager or owner out there, gullible enough to take Ellsbury’s entire contract?  Could their be someone in power who perhaps always “loved that Ellsbury kid and his hustle?”

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That scenario is highly unlikely, which means on opening day 2017, Jacoby Ellsbury will most likely be back playing centerfield.  But no worries.  I’m sure he’ll look cool as ever.  Until he lands on the disabled list again.