Jacoby Ellsbury is a free agent and the rumors around baseball entering Monday are that the outfielder will cost a team around $150 million. MLB Trade Rumors made the prediction and there is no reason to believe that Ellsbury will have a hard time finding a suitor.
Once teams get over the fact that Ellsbury is a Scott Boras client, they will probably dive in to acquire the centerfielder. Speed is his game and speed eventually declines, but Ellsbury probably has a few more years left in his legs, which will make him a valuable asset in the outfield. However, teams will overlook the fact that long term deals are not the way to go and probably fall for the seven-year, $150 million trap predicted by MLB Trade Rumors.
Why?
Ellsbury is a two-time champion. He also led the league with 52 steals and has a lot of power from gap to gap. Teams will hope that Ellsbury can give them a full season. The one season Ellsbury almost played a full season, he hit 32 home runs and drove in 105 runs while stealing 39 bases. Those numbers are unique. Ellsbury can get on base and that is a stat that has become a commodity since Money Ball took over baseball.
2011 stands out to suitors because they figure, if Ellsbury hit 32 home runs one season, that means he could do it again. Once his speed starts to diminish, Ellsbury might be capable of focusing on hitting the ball over the wall.
Ellsbury's defense is stellar, although, he does not have the strongest arm in baseball. However, his speed has allowed him to survive in one of the toughest centerfields in baseball; the triangle in right center at Fenway Park.
Possible suitors include both New York teams, Philadelphia Phillies, Washington Nationals and Chicago Cubs. The prediction made by MLB Trade Rumors is that Ellsbury will land in Seattle with the Mariners since the 30-year-old is a product of Madras, Oregon.
Is Ellsbury worth $150 million? Well, granted that Carl Crawford received a seven-year, $142 million back in 2010 from the Red Sox, the thought is that Ellsbury will easily surpass that. They are the same type of players, however, Ellsbury is a champion and those rings will possibly earn him a few extra millions. Speedsters are now getting respect in baseball, although, it is one of the first facets of an aging players' game to decline.
