Is Anyone Happy with Ellsbury? -#Yankees

12/5/2013

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It appears that the Yankees signing of free agent outfielder and former Red Sox star Jacoby Ellsbury hasn't exactly pleased, well.....anyone. Naturally Sox fans are upset about Ellsbury departing Boston only to sign with their arch enemies in the Bronx. However it's Yankees fans who are by far more the most vocal about the signing.

Still frustrated from a dismal 2013 season Yankee fans frustrations have spilled over to the off season. Many are puzzled as to why the brass in the Bronx would sign Ellsbury to begin with. Even more intelligent fans are questioning the amount of money given to Ellsbury. Yet all fans Yankees or otherwise are completely dumbfounded by the length of the deal.

Ellsbury has a had a history of injury problems. Not a bad hip or knee. Nothing like a broken hand or a herniated disk. Little "nagging" ailments. The kind of health issues that have left even the biggest Ellsbury fans questioning his toughness. At age 30 those problems will only become more and more frequent. If his health doesn't scare you now how about when he's 35 or 36 how about when he is 37. That's how long Ellsbury is under contract for. Again even the most optimistic observer can tell you that a seven year contract is at least two years to long. Now what about the money. The Yanks signed Ellsbury for $153 over seven years. That breaks down to a little over 21 million per season for a lead off hitter. To state they over paid would be an exercise and pointing out the obvious.

Consider this the team Ellsbury just left literally allowed him to just walk away with out any hardship or bidding war. Boston and NY have become infamous in their financial bidding wars in the off season. Something that has become a staple between the two clubs when dealing with top notch free agents. Yet when it came to Ellsbury there was no inflated offers back and forth. No eleventh hour competitive offers. The reason for this is simple. The Red Sox did not see Ellsbury as a $20 million caliber player. Sure he's fast and a terrific glove. However those two skills in today's market do not warrant the salary Ellsbury sought after.

Yankee fans are also wondering what was wrong with Curtis? Last season outfielder Curtis Granderson suffered two broken hands in a pair of freak beanings. However prior to 2013 Granderson has been an every day guy. An all star who can not only score runs but knock them in as well. He also possesses a solid glove and can hit just about anywhere in the lineup. If you still don't see why fans of the pin stripes are upset maybe the fact that Granderson can be signed for significantly less than Ellsbury financially. The Yankees also could have gotten Granderson for a two to three years as apposed to seven.

By The Numbers - Ellsbury vs. Granderson

Jacoby Ellsbury

Age: 30
Bats: Left
Avg: .297
HR: 65
RBI: 314
SB: 241

Curtis Granderson

Age: 32
Bats: Left
Avg: .261
HR: 217
RBI: 606
SB: 122

The fact of the matter is the Yankees have made two moves this off season. In both cases (Brian McCann & Jacoby Ellsbury) they vastly over paid. This does not look good for a team who still has to resign Robinson Cano, whom by the way is looking for almost $30 million per year. For the Yanks, Cano is a definite must sign without his bat it will be another long miserable season. Assuming they do get a deal done with Cano the Yanks are still far from back to contender status. This is do largly in part to the basic fact that none of the guys brought in thus far can pitch. The Yankees rotation was pathetic in 2013 and in 2014 they must replace both Andy Pettitte (retired) and Phil Hughes (free agent). All these reasons combined have the Yankee faithful in a state of disarray.

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