Regarding players Dustin Pedroia and Kevin Youkilis, the Red Sox locked in these two major talents before they were free agent eligible and those signings have reaped huge rewards. Ellsbury is obviously back from his rib injuries and he seems, at least on the surface, the complete picture of health. So why haven’t the Red Sox done the same thing with Jacoby Ellsbury as they did with Pedroia and Youkilis? The answer is simple and sad: GREED!
The Red Sox have made many overtures to Ellsbury along the lines of signing him now to a long-term contract, but Ellsbury’s agent, Scot “The Don King of Baseball” Boras has stifled any meaningful negotiations by having Ellsbury wait for free agent eligibility so he can test the open market. In other words, to get any and all the money he can stuff into his pockets. Now, I have always been a proponent of the free market economy and have said so many times in this column, and this case is no different on the surface. But, looking underneath it all it’s apparent that Ellsbury is following the Boras playbook to the letter. Again, that’s all fine and good but it points up one thing: that Ellsbury is not really a team player.
When Pedroia signed his multi-year contract he said he knew he could have gotten more money if he went somewhere else but he loved the Red Sox and loved playing in Boston and wanted to stay with the Sox. Youkilis had almost the exact same sentiments when he signed his contract with the Sox. Those two, in my opinion, are the definition of what a team player should be. Ellsbury? Not so much.
No doubt about it, it’s Ellsbury’s right to wait for free agency and see what the market will bear. He has talent to spare and if things keep going like they are for him this season he will become a major talent in baseball, if he hasn’t done so already. But it seems to me that Ellsbury’s loyalties lie elsewhere and how will that affect the Red Sox as a whole as the season heads towards the playoffs? Remember, his loyalty to the Red Sox came into question when he was out with his broken ribs for most of the 2010 season. Some players even questioned if Ellsbury was “dogging it” and wondered if he should have come back sooner. I’ve never had broken ribs but when I brought up this subject last season I got a raft of responses saying that broken ribs were very painful and that it was very hard to recover from them. So be it, but that was last season and Ellsbury’s ribs certainly appear to be fine now, so what about his loyalty to the Red Sox this season? Apparently it’s not as strong as it might be. Is this Ellsbury’s feelings or Boras pulling Ellsbury’s strings?
Well, after the 2007 season and our second World Series win, Ellsbury fired his agent and hired Boras. After that happened, Ellsbury, who used to sign autographs for free, started charging $125 apiece for his scrawl. He hadn’t been in the Majors for a whole season yet and he was charging an outrageous amount to sign some piece of baseball souvenirage. That is just wrong and you can’t tell me that Boras’ influence didn’t play a role in that decision to charge for his signature.
If Ellsbury wants to wait until he is eligible for free agency he can do that, but he shouldn’t disrupt the harmony of the Red Sox just so he can fill his pockets to over flowing. Just ask yourself this Ells, “Where are you going to go? Where is there a team that is always in contention every season that is going to pay the type of money that Boras is going to demand?” I don’t think the Red Sox are going to pay that much, whatever that sum may be. Maybe the Yankees will pay it? Their payroll is bloated enough, what with the A-Rod contract in effect until 2017 and besides that, where are they going to put him? So after all that, name a team that can: 1.) afford you, and 2.) always be in contention every season. The Phillies? Maybe the Mets? Guess again.
After this season, win, lose or draw the Red Sox should cut Ellsbury loose unless he signs a multi-year deal. I’m sure there are players down in the minors with the kind of speed and ability that could take Ellsbury’s place because our scouting system is . Ells, you are a good player and maybe someday you will be a great player, but in my mind you are not worth the effort and disruption to the harmony of the Red Sox to keep you as things stand now. So good luck.
