Yankees Rumors: Jacoby Ellsbury could be headed to the Mariners

While the news of Joe Girardi’s dismissal will dominate Bombers’ news feeds until a successor is found, there is still plenty else going on in the world of Yankees rumors and news.

Wednesday night’s Game 7 of the World Series will be our last sign of baseball until mid-February when pitchers and catchers report for Spring Training. So until then, we’ll have to fill our Yankees needs with the always appealing offseason hot stove.

Jacoby Ellsbury headed to Seattle?

The first rumor comes from Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports. According to Heyman, 34-year-old fourth outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury, whom many expect (hope) to be dealt sooner rather than later, could very well be on his way to the Mariners.

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"Look for the Yankees to shop Jacoby Ellsbury after a disappointing season in which he sat in the ALCS while Aaron Hicks, who slumped badly, played.Ellsbury has three years to go on his $153 million, seven-year deal, so there would have to be a significant paydown to facilitate a deal. Some have always envisioned Ellsbury going home to play in Seattle, which could use an outfielder but is not believed to have a lot of money in its budget."

After what appeared to be a late-season resurgence to his offensive game, Ellsbury saw little of the field during the postseason — leading to his agent, Scott Boras’ claims that the Yankees should have played Ellsbury more because he was once great in the playoffs for the Red Sox.
I shared my feelings on that story last week.

Anyway, the Mariners’ current center fielder, Jarrod Dyson, who was making $18.3 million less than Ellsbury per year, has a similar stat line but is entering free agency and is said to be looking for a raise.

If the Yanks are willing to eat a large chunk of salary, and the Mariners do indeed show interest in the former Oregon State University product, general manager Brian Cashman should jump all over the opportunity open up a much-needed 25 man roster spot.

Todd Frazier, Masahiro Tanaka and Matt Holliday

Also in the piece, Heyman notes that the Yankees would love to bring back third baseman and clubhouse leader Todd Frazier after he far exceeded their expectations following his arrival from the White Sox.

And though the Yanks hope to re-sign him, they know that doing so while also standing firm on their intentions of falling below the $197 million luxury tax threshold, will be a challenge.

Following his bounce-back performances in the postseason, those around MLB now fully expect Masahiro Tanaka to opt out of the remaining 3-years, $67 million remaining on his initial deal.

Considering the seriousness of Tanaka’s partially torn UCL and belief he’ll look to double the money he’s leaving on the table, the Yankees will likely allow him to depart.

Next: Joe Girardi has thoughts

It turns out Matt Holliday hopes to play again in 2018, but it will certainly have to be for a different club. A non-guaranteed deal centered around an invite to spring training is all the 14-year veteran can expect at this time.