Jacoby Ellsbury To The Bronx

7 Years, $153 million

That's the contract that Jacoby Ellsbury gets to trade in his beard and the red "B" for a clean-shaven look, pinstripes and the interlocking "NY." When I first heard that the Yanks got Ellsbury, I was ecstatic! I had always hated Ellsbury when he was with Boston, but that was mainly because he always killed us in the field, on the base paths, and at the plate. That's what Ellsbury will bring to this club. He's always in the neighborhood of a .300 batting average, so he gives us a great bat. Ellsbury has always been lauded for his elite speed. He went 52 for 56 last season. Let that marinate. That's an incredible amount of steals, but the efficiency is even more impressive. With both Gardner and Ellsbury, the Yankees now have a one-two punch on the base paths. He's also one of the best defensive center-fielders in the game with a Gold Glove to his credit in 2011. So, on the surface, this move is awesome for the Yankees. Then, you see the contract numbers...

(Photo credit: Google Images)

Seven years? Really, Hal? Guess the $189 luxury tax threshold has just been shot to hell, and thank God if that's the case. Last year was one of the worst years I've ever seen from the Yankees since I had starting following baseball (yes, I know the late-80 and early-90s were worse, but I'm only 24). There was no excitement around this team all last year. It's almost like the fans knew the team was going nowhere, and it sure showed in attendance numbers. I can't tell you how many Yankee games I watched and wondered if I was watching a Yankees game or a Rays game. There was no one there! You'd have to think that improves this year. Anyway, back to the contract. This is another one of those "if he stays healthy" type of deals. I have a very current one to compare this to; Ryane Clowe's deal with the New Jersey Devils. He got 5 years/$24.25 million and the first thing I said when I heard about that deal, "It's great if he's healthy." Has he been healthy? No! They never are when you sign them! Clowe has barely played this season. I'm always incredibly wary when one of my teams signs an injury-prone player. The only solace I can take out of his injuries is that one could have been avoided and one was an accident. In 2010, he suffered broken ribs after running into a teammate in the field. In 2012, he had a right shoulder injury from a having a fielder land on him while sliding into second. So, it isn't a string of muscle tears and non-contact injuries. I guess that's a positive. IF ELLSBURY STAYS HEALTHY, we should get four to five years of elite CF play, which is all I'd have signed him for.

Outfield Shift

Brett Gardner was our center fielder for most the year last season because Granderson was hurt. Conventional wisdom says that Gardner shifts over to the cavernous left field of Yankee Stadium and Ellsbury will patrol center. The only question is right field. Alfonso Soriano could shift to right, but he's never played there as a pro and he doesn't have a right-fielder's arm. If they decide to shift Soriano over there, runners are going first-to-third on him regularly. What I hope they do is go out and get another outfielder with a better arm than Soriano and make Soriano a full-time DH. I would love for the Yankees to go after Shin-Soo Choo, but I don't know if they would be willing to pay what he would be looking for. This probably means one or both of Ichiro and Vernon Wells are probably not going to be re-signed. Even if the Yankees decide moving Soriano to left is going to be their plan, the outfield is going to be above average defensively. I'm very excited about that, because that could save us some wins during the year. But as with every signing the Yankees make, the question that is asked is...

What does this mean for Robbie Cano?

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Now, the fact that the Yankees gave Ellsbury seven years means that they can't give Cano less than that. You can't justify signing someone from another team for a longer term than a star player on your own team. So, that basically means that Cano (if he re-signs with the Yankees) is going to get no less than a seven year deal, which would make Cano 38 years old at the end of said contract. Yikes... Those last two or three years will be rough then if that does happen. I still think he ends up with the Yankees, though. It's mainly because no team is going to give him the money he wants and the Yankees seem to be kicking the $189 million limit to the curb. I could see a scenario where the Yankees match an offer a team makes as long as it's not completely absurd. I'm just glad the Yankees aren't currently negotiating against themselves in this case, but who knows really? They could be and we just just don't know it because nothing is publicized. Even with the money the Yankees have invested in Brian McCann and Jacoby Ellsbury, I still think that Robbie Cano will end up signing a deal that will essentially make him a career-Yankee. It looks like the rumors of a $300 million spending spree this offseason were true.