If you could grant the New York Yankees one wish, it would probably be to rid of Jacoby Ellsbury by any means necessary. If the San Francisco Giants have their way, the Yankees might get their wish.
On Monday, ESPN’s Buster Olney reported that the San Francisco Giants have checked in with the New York Yankees for a potential “bad contract swap” involving none other than Jacoby Ellsbury. In return, the Yankees would get Johnny Cueto (aka “Johnny Beisbol”) who underwent Tommy John surgery last August after an injury-laden 2018 season.
As SF has canvassed the market for OF help, they've talked about Jacoby Ellsbury, probably would be open to a bad contract swap. For example, speculation: Cueto owed $68m, coming back from TJ surgery; NYY could recoup insurance in '19. Ellsbury owed $48m. $ would have to even out
— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) February 4, 2019
The move could potentially help both teams, believe it or not.
The move is said to give the San Francisco Giants some much needed “OF help”. Jacoby Ellsbury, who seems to finally be healthy, could provide the Giants with just what they need.
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Not only that, the Giants trading for Ellsbury could be beneficial to the organization in the long run. Ellsbury has three years left on his contract which includes a buyout in the third year. In all, Ellsbury would cost the Giants $47M+. This compared to the $68M, including a $5M buyout, Johnny Cueto is owed over the next four seasons, and the Giants are actually saving money while speeding up the rebuild.
For the New York Yankees, not only would they finally rid themselves of Jacoby Ellsbury, they’d be bringing baseball’s best wind up to Broadway, right where it belongs.
In all seriousness, the Yankees would potentially be adding a bonafide starting pitcher to their rotation just in time for the 2019 postseason.
Just imagine a Yankees starting rotation that features the likes of:
…and CC Sabathia as a spot starter or a 6th starter. That’s potentially the best rotation in MLB.
In all, the move could help all parties involved.
The San Francisco Giants would speed up the rebuilding process while saving close to $20M in the process. The New York Yankees would gain a great pitcher, hopefully, come playoff time. And Jacoby Ellsbury who is currently in a situation where he will see very little playing time would get a second chance in a big market that actually requires his services.
It’s a no-brainer.