Ellsbury Inks Deal With Yankees

On Tuesday Jacoby Ellsbury became just the fourth player in Major League Baseball history to sign with the New York Yankees after a previous season with the Boston Red Sox. The left handed hitting Center Fielder signed the third largest contract in MLB history for an outfielder when he agreed to a seven year, one hundred fifty three million dollar contract.

 

The last player to take the path of Ellsbury was Johnny Damon in 2006, also a left handed hitting outfielder. That deal ended up working pretty well for the Yankees as he was a vital part of a 2009 offense that won the World Series.

 

Ellsbury has a history of winning as he was a World Series Champion in both 2007 and 2013 with the Boston Red Sox. He has battled injury in the past but when healthy he is a consistent hitter and nightmare on the base paths for opposing catchers. Last season in 134 games, Ellsbury hit for a .298 average with nine home runs, fifty three runs batted in and an impressive fifty two stolen bases.

 

The addition of Ellsbury gives the Yankees a quality leadoff hitter and a solid defensive player. He won the Rawlings Gold Glove award in 2011, marking him as one of the best defenders in the game and also won a  Silver Slugger award that year. If he plays to his usual standards in the Bronx, he is a huge step in the right direction for a twenty eighth World Series title.