Ellsbury an interesting option for Phillies
NASHVILLE -- The domino effect that can occur whenever a team makes a move at the winter meetings may have created another center-field option for the Phillies via trade Tuesday.
Ellsbury an interesting option for Phillies
Bob Brookover, Inquirer Baseball Columnist
NASHVILLE -- The domino effect that can occur whenever a team makes a move at the winter meetings may have created another center-field option for the Phillies via trade Tuesday.
After the Boston Red Sox signed former Phillies center fielder Shane Victorino to a three-year, $39 million deal, the rumblings started that they may be ready to move Jacoby Ellsbury, a player who finished second in the American League MVP voting in 2011.
A separated shoulder limited Ellsbury to 74 games in 2012, marking the second time in three seasons he missed substantial time because of injuries. A rib injury limited him to 18 games in 2010.
The Phillies are already relying on Ryan Howard, Chase Utley and Roy Halladay to have comeback seasons after missing long stretches of the 2012 season, so it would be a risk to count upon Ellsbury as their starting center fielder, too.
On the other hand, the reward would be great if Ellsbury returned to his 2011 form when he hit .321 with 47 doubles, 32 home runs and 105 RBIs while also stealing 39 bases and scoring 119 runs.
The risk in terms of dollars and long-term commitment would not be significant. Ellsbury, 29, will be a free agent after the 2013 season, so he should be motivated to play for a long-term deal. He made just over $8 million last season and probably will be paid right around that number next season.
Whenever Ellsbury has been healthy he has been an elite player. He led the American League in stolen bases with 50 in 2008 and 70 in 2009. He has scored 90 or more runs in the three seaosns he played at least 145 games and he has a .349 career on-base percentage.
Like Michael Bourn, the best pure free-agent center fielder on the free-agent market at these winter meetings, Ellsbury is represented by agent Scott Boras. Since Ellsbury is only eligible for salary arbitration, there would be no significant negotations.
What would the Phillies have to surrender in a trade for Ellsbury? The deal could get done for righthander Vance Worley because the Red Sox need another starting pitcher. Worley, 25, should be attractive to a lot of teams even though he is coming off a frustrating season caused by a bone spur that was surgically removed in September. Worley is not eligible for salary arbitratrion until after the 2013 season and cannot be a free agent until after the 2017 season. The Red Sox, after spending big in the free-agent market this offseason, should like that kind of low-cost option for the back of their starting rotation.
Ellsburg and Bonifaco = WS?— walt1- noooo! are the posters on here sadists or masochists? do some math, our record was desimated last year by inuries - adding another player who's ALREADY injury prone? wow.— PhillyDanny
- This article just proves that some sportswriters in this town are as ignorant as most fans. Worley for Ellsbury? Get real. Ellsbury should have been the 2011 AL MVP. He doesn't own a huge contract. The guy is gold on the trade market while Worley is pleather.— JodyMac
- how about Worley and Brown to Arizona for Justin Upton and then pending the money on Greineke— Roswell Greys
- Sell or trade Howard to any team who'd settle for one homerun for every fifteen-twenty KO's. Put Ruf at first and use the money for the best third or centerfielder available.
Worley? trade for any weak position. He's never in shape. Watch him start sweating after two innings.
Howard's 13 Ko's in the Yankee series two years ago convinced me, like Reid, he's over rated .— Lew Klein - Worley stays.
Sign Josh Hamilton. Move Ryan Howard (sorry Ryan) to some AL team in a trade for a 3B-er. Mayberry becomes regular 1B-er. - Toss in Brownie and the rights to Steve Jeltz and do it , RAJ.— NewMick314
- do it.— Bartleby
- this has all the makings of an internet rumor. Why in their right mind would the Redsox do this?— thingfish
- Maybe they can get Ellsbury and Bonafacio?— Paul SoTX
- Stop with the options. You can write/speculate all you want. It's up to the Phillies to actually DO SOMETHING. You've been through a bunch of guys already. Most of them are under contract elsewhere. I stick to ESPN for news.— billtfla
- Good points, all of you - HOWEVER - I echo eman's concern - that of losing years of Vanimal for at best, 1 full season of Ellsbury.— dwp66
- Ya think the Red Sox are telling us something. Ellsbury is not as safe a bet as Victorino whether we are talking about health, skill or contract issues.The Phillies went through something similiar with Hunter Pence. They got him thinking he was a rising star. After watching him the remainder of 2011 and until the deadline in 2012,they made some kind of determination that (A) he was not as good as the originally thought he was or (B) he was going to cost them too much in this arbitration year or (C) they did not think they could sign him, or did not want to sign him in free agency. I am curious to see what the Giants do with Pence at the trading deadline in 2013.Stay away from injury plagued athletics. There are people who maintain that Dominic Brown's failure to reach his expected potential is a very long list of injuries - some minor, some not so minor, but all reoccuring at junctures when it appeared he was ready to take off. This would be the type of trade you are better walking away from. Suppose you get Ellsbury for Worley. Ellsbury stays healthy and has a big year. Do you think the Phillies could afford him in free agency. Or, the other hand, suppose Ellbury is hurt and has no impact. How would you feel about giving Worley away for nothing. The risk/reward is just not there.— candidly
- No brainer to me...Bourjos for center and Bonifacio for third base.— ocpizza
- No-brainer. Bye-bye, Vance, if we can get Ellsbury. Bonifacio would be a great addition, too, depending on what we have to give up.— iceman
