Three Ways the Yankees Could Dump Jacoby Ellsbury This Winter

Texas Rangers

After the sad ending to Prince Fielder‘s career in 2016, the Rangers have just one under-performing big money player who could be a fair return in an Ellsbury swap, right fielder Shin-Soo Choo.

If this trade were to go down, the irony would be a lot of fun, because the Yankees reportedly pursued both Ellsbury and Choo during the 2013-2014 offseason before eventually choosing the speedy center fielder. A deal like this would allow them to correct their mistake.

To be fair, Choo hasn’t played up to expectations either in his first three seasons since signing. He’s hit a combined .258/.359/.419 (112 OPS+) with 42 home runs over the last three years. Offensively, he’s been much more productive than Ellsbury, especially in the power department, which is much more valuable to New York right now than another glove-first guy.

Choo is pretty terrible defensively at this point, but the Yankees could probably live with him or Matt Holliday in left for a season, shifting Brett Gardner to center, and then move Choo to DH full-time when Holliday’s deal is up.

It’s also worth noting that Choo had his last above-average season more recently than Ellsbury, when he hit .276/.375/.463 (125 OPS+) with 22 home runs and 82 RBI in 653 plate appearances. He also has a clear explanation for his 2016 dip in production as he was plagued by hamstring, calf, and back injuries before fracturing his forearm in mid-August.