Jacoby Ellsbury starting in CF for the Yankees isn't as crazy as it sounds

After the New York Yankees acquired Giancarlo Stanton, fans have been trying to find ways to trade Jacoby Ellsbury. There’s a chance, however, that Ellsbury ends up starting in center field.

The New York Yankees have a ton of outfield depth. Aaron Judge, Brett Gardner, Giancarlo Stanton, and Aaron Hicks are the projected starters (including DH) with Jacoby Ellsbury coming off the bench. The Yankees also have Clint Frazier, Billy McKinney, Jake Cave, and Jabari Blash on the 40-man roster.

To most, the logical answer is to trade Ellsbury, clearing a roster spot and ridding the Yankees of the $68 million left on his contract. There are problems with that theory, however.

First of all, no team wants that contract. Ellsbury is 34 years old and hasn’t lived up to his exorbitant contract over the first four years. In order to move Ellsbury and his contract, the Yankees would have to eat a chunk of it. Many people believe that the Yanks would also have to sweeten the deal with a prospect, possibly Clint Frazier.

Is Ellsbury so bad that it’s worth losing a top prospect like Frazier while still paying somewhere near half of the contract?

I would argue that he’s not that bad. And even if you think he is, Ellsbury has all the power here.

Ellsbury has a full no-trade clause in his contract, giving him the right to reject any trade that would send him out of the Bronx. The Yankees may want to get rid of Ellsbury but he doesn’t want to leave.

Ellsbury believes that if he stays with the Yankees, he could win the starting center fielder job. Is he delusional? Honestly, no, he’s not.

It’s not as though the man penciled in in front of him is a perennial All-Star. Aaron Hicks had a great 2017 season but that was the first of its kind in his career.

Hicks set career highs in average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, doubles, home runs, runs, RBI, and walks last season. Are those stats the new norm or an outlier?

CLEVELAND, OH – OCTOBER 06: Aaron Hicks (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /

Let me be clear. I hope they are the new norm. I love Aaron Hicks and the way he plays. But until he repeats his 2017 production, he doesn’t deserve to be handed the starting center fielder job.

2017 was also a tale of two halves for Hicks. Before the All-Star break, Hicks hit .290/.398/.515. After the Summer Classic, Hicks hit just .218/.319/.396.

If Hicks doesn’t bring his A-game in spring training, Ellsbury could take his starting spot back. Remember, Ellsbury was the starting center fielder on Opening Day last season.

Hicks was also no man of steel in 2017. Due to a pair of oblique injuries, Hicks only played in 88 games last year. If the injury bug bites again, Ellsbury could be the next man up.

And if given the opportunity, Ellsbury still has solid baseball left in him. When seeing regular playing time in 2017, Ellsbury hit the ball pretty well.

Ellsbury was hitting .281 through May 24 before getting a concussion crashing into the center field wall while tracking down a fly ball. When Ellsbury returned from the disabled list, Hicks had taken over his starting job and playing time was scarce for the $153 million man.

Hicks’s second oblique injury, however, opened the door for Ellsbury to regain regular playing time in September and he didn’t waste the opportunity. In the final month of the regular season, Ellsbury hit .337 with ten extra-base hits and six stolen bases.

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So Ellsbury can still hit if given enough at-bats and we know he can still play defense and steal bases (22-for-25 in 2017). When he was demoted to a bench player/pinch runner/defensive replacement, Ellsbury was overpaid but was pretty good at what he was asked to do.

Also, the man who benched Ellsbury in favor of Hicks in the postseason, Joe Girardi, is no longer making the decisions in the Bronx. Aaron Boone is in charge now and a new manager means everyone has a fresh start.

Everyone will have a chance to prove themselves and that includes Jacoby Ellsbury.

Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports reported that the Yankees are having trouble finding a taker for Ellsbury but that might be okay.

Next: Biggest question for the Yankees as we enter 2018

If Jacoby Ellsbury is a member of the New York Yankees in 2018, it’s not out of the question that he is their starting center fielder.

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Jacoby Ellsbury starting in CF for the Yankees isn’t as crazy as it sounds

By Sean Dyer | Jan 12, 2018

After the New York Yankees acquired Giancarlo Stanton, fans have been trying to find ways to trade Jacoby Ellsbury. There’s a chance, however, that Ellsbury ends up starting in center field.

More from New York Yankees