Yankees general manager Brian Cashman announced to the media Wednesday that outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury won’t be reporting to camp until next month, as he’s currently being slowed by a case of plantar fasciitis (link via Dan Martin of the New York Post). It’s not yet clear whether Ellsbury will be ready for Opening Day, nor is it clear how much playing time would be available to Ellsbury considering a Yankees outfield mix that features Aaron Judge, Aaron Hicks, Brett Gardner and Giancarlo Stanton (with Clint Frazier also looming in the minors). Ellsbury seems poised for a bench role after missing the entire 2018 season due to injury (most notably including hip surgery).
The injury news didn’t stop there for the Yanks, either, as right-handed pitching prospect Mike King has been shut down for the next three weeks after an MRI revealed a stress reaction in his right elbow. He’ll be re-evaluated after that three-week down period. The 23-year-old King posted a ridiculous 1.79 ERA with 8.5 K/9 against 1.6 BB/9 in 161 1/3 innings across three levels last season, topping out with a brilliant six-start run in Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
Some more injury notes from around the American League (we checked in on some NL health statuses earlier today, as well)…
- In what’s become all too familiar a theme for Angels fans, there’s some early trouble regarding right-handers Nick Tropeano and Alex Meyer. Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register reports that Tropeano has only just resumed “light” throwing after suffering a December setback in his rehab from the shoulder woes that derailed much of his 2018 season (Twitter links). Tropeano had three DL stints pertaining to his shoulder in ’18 and was eventually shut down after undergoing a platelet-rich plasma injection. He’s unlikely to be ready for Opening Day, per Fletcher. Meanwhile, Meyer had yet another surgery on his perennially problematic right shoulder — this time an arthroscopic procedure performed in November. He’s not yet been cleared to throw. The former top prospect was a long shot to factor into the pitching staff anyhow given his extremely lengthy injury history. He was cut loose by the Halos earlier this winter but returned on a minor league contract.
- MLB.com’s Mandy Bell writes that Indians right-hander Danny Salazar is confident he’ll be able to begin throwing off a mound by the end of Spring Training. That doesn’t create much optimism for an early 2019 return, nor does the fact that Bell suggests Salazar could be able to return to the Major League roster “prior to the All-Star break.” Given Cleveland’s strong rotation and the fact that Salazar didn’t even pitch in 2018 due to shoulder troubles that necessitated surgery in July, he’ll be a part of the team’s bullpen picture whenever he does return. With the righty still only playing catch on flat ground, however, it’ll likely be awhile before a more definitive timeline takes shape.
- An MRI performed on Athletics right-hander James Kaprielian revealed a strained lat muscle, per Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle (Twitter links). He won’t throw for the next two to three weeks. Kaprielian, 25 next month, was once regarded as one of the game’s top pitching prospects and was a key piece acquired in the 2017 trade that sent Sonny Gray to the Bronx, but he hasn’t pitched since 2016 due to 2017 Tommy John surgery and a series of shoulder issues in 2018.
Ellsbury needs to retire!
Everytime he sneezes he ends up on the Disabled List…sorry, Injured List.
Who plays more games in 2019: Ellsbury or Tulowitzki? The Yankees are trying to corner the market on dead guys.
Bernie’s Dander, why are Mets fans talking trash? At least Yanks spend, and in 2 years, the tale ends.
Remind everyone; worse contract. Ellsbury or Ces? They both have 2 yrs left, bet Ells plays before Ces.
Mets have received way more value out of Cespedes. Not close. Ellsbury is one of the worst all-time contracts.
lololol shut your jibbies. remember carl pavano? btw mets have 7th highest payroll. Learn your teams before looking stupid
There is no way that those two contracts are comparable. Ellsbury had done absolutely nothing for the Yankees before his deal, and is basically a deal the Yanks signed because they were pissed about Cano. Cespedes did his version of Mannywood & carried the Mets for half a season that brought them to the postseason. He also played in actual games last year. They are both horrible contracts, but ellsbury’s was Longer, for more dollars, & was absolutely unnecessary from day one, as the Yankees already had Gardner.
I would be curious to know if Yankees filed an insurance claim to recoup his salary or are just willing to pay him to pretend he is hurt so they don’t have to play him.
xabial is a clown. That is all
@resident. I think the Yankees are happy to collect insurance on Ellsbury rather than see him play. He’s worth more to them on the DL at this point.
Hey metropolitan-Bobby Bonilla is calling you to stake a claim. And his contract was three decades ago when the upper limit was WAY lower.
It was a great deal for Fred as he was able to save salary in the 1980’s to help fund Bernie Madoff.
The policy has to be in place prior to the injury. I’m sure all teams get insurance policies on most players earning tens of millions.
X, don’t even start with worse contracts when the Yankees are king of those. This decade I can think of Burnett, Steve Karsay, Wright, A-Rod, Pavano, Igawa…
Burnett was worth contract for the WS alone. You take that Burnett outcome, every time.
Without Burnett, legitimate case can be made, LOSE 2009 WS. Burnett was 33% of rotation, evened Series 1-1, instead 0-2.
If Yanks were down 0-2 against Phills… Yikes
His exit wasn’t graceful but.. enjoyed his stay; one my fave, guy who stood up, for his team.
A.J. Burnett got five years, and under 90M.
Not an albatross, for major contributions to win WS
Xabial is the worst poster on any site. The worst
Hey Dion—you are the worst poster. Lay off anyone who is a Yankees fan and stop showing your jealousy and resentment.
Xabial makes legitimate points. Stop your whining.
Okay, he’s your Barry Zito then. I’ll give you that one. The others though… 🙂
Worse than me?
How about the time they took on the dead contract of Vernon Wells when everyone knew he was worthless? Amazing that Cashman still has his job.
Ultimate Yankee homer if you think that the Cespedes contract is worse than Ells’s.
carl pavano, mikeyank. carl pavano. Ellsbury is a top 5 worst contract in history. Hasnt performed at all. I hate the wilpons. They’re trash. Stop bringing up bonilla. Its unbecoming. He performed for a little bit. Oh and we don’t reward roid using dbags with 300 million. Good job.
Tulowitzki will play more. He will start at SS and play 85% of games (my prediction) before Didi comes back.
Ellsbury will mostly pinch run when healthy, but he will start one game per week (ish) in LF.
That’s my prediction for those two guys.
World’s most expensive pinch runner.
Pitch runner with plantar fasciitis. They’d be better off with CC pitch running!
You have some high hopes! If he played 85 games, I’d be pleasantly surprised. He hasn’t played 85% of games since 2011.
Ellsbury won’t even see the Yankee 25 man roster this season. Yankees will recoup some salary from insurance while he is on the DL and after that if they can’t trade him he’ll get DFA’d.
But my money is Ellsbury re-injuring himself on rehab assignments and staying on the 60 day DL for most of the year until the Yankees are forced to DFA him.
Do you know for a fact the Yankees have injury insurance on Ellsbury?
Players with fat contracts usually have team-owned term LIFE insurance, for the unthinkable Thurman Munson-type death while active, but injury insurance is far less common and horrifically expensive.
Fans are prone to believing the team is getting reimbursed at some level when Johnny Star goes on the DL for the remainder of the year, but that is rarely the case. The team just pays the contract and takes the beating.
“Do you know for a fact the Yankees have injury insurance on Ellsbury?”
@GeoKaplan,
Yes, Yankees’ Ellsbury insurance policy was documented in this fascinating Forbes piece: forbes.com/sites/wallacematthews/2018/06/01/jacoby…
“…Ellsbury gets p$21,142,857.15 per annum, whether he plays or not…”
“If Ellsbury does not play a full season, they get reimbursed to a tune of $15,857,142.86…”
Protected against Ells’ season-ending injury.
It’s cute you think that either can remain healthy. History tells us differently. Sabbathia will probably join them on the DL after the AS break. This is as good as Red Sox fans wanting Buccholz back. He cannot stay healthy either.
How about Cespedes? The difference between he and Els is that the Yankees don’t need Els and the Mets season hinges on Ces to hit behind oh no Robbie Cano.
A living breathing example of why guys like Harper and Machado remain unsigned.
I disagree. There is no evidence Ellsbury has displayed any vital signs whatsoever.
Injury risk aside, Yanks never should’ve offered him that kind of money considering his game was predicated on speed and he was already coming into his 30s. It was a stupid contract to offer. Even if healthy I expected him to not be worth his contract.
Totally agree. The contracts must have more mutual options. For these reasons now some players and teams are affected. If the exit options were every 2-3 years, there would be more chances that Harper and Machado were already signed. This also helps the players play at their capacity and not run at first base like elephants.
Broken Glass,their going to have pay someone to take him!
Man, plantar fasciitis suuuuuucks. Some days you gotta feel bad for Jacoby. A part of me wants him to overcome all his injuries and have a great season, just to show that you can come back from anything. Kinda like how David Wright overcame his injuries to have a couple more games.
Ellsbury was always injured in Boston, n the Evil Empire thought they stole him like they did with Damon the Demon. So I gotta laugh at the thrown away millions.
Your evil empire schtick is getting old. The Yankees received that nickname because they spent a ton of money 15 years ago. The tables have turned and the BoSox are now the evil empire. Your incessant need to shoehorn it into every article is getting annoying. I didnt mind it back in the day when it was true. Now it is slang that is only thrown around by ignorant fans.
They’ve both been the Evil Empire for years and years to me.
The Yankees outspent everyone else over a 17 year period. During that time, they paid $320m in luxury tax payments. The Dodgers were next closest around $150m. Then the Red Sox around $25m. In other words, the Yankees paid more in luxury tax than every other team combined. Don’t get all high and mighty the one year they finally got their finances under control. It’s pretty weak.
Right on! Two evil empires … and then the rest of the American League.
Nice!!!
The Evil Empire was a reference to the Yankees being a seemingly unstoppable force, much like the Empire. You’re correct the Yankees are no longer the Evil Empire and The Red Sox just might be becoming it. But just not for the reason given.
The Yanks will always be the evil empire. Always. It’ll never stick w/ anyone but them. Better just embrace it.
I’m not saying that Boston hasn’t spent money, and since 2002 Boston has been in the top 6 of highest payrolls every year. And I’m glad that I’m a fan of a team that spends money. And tries to put a competitive team on the field, instead of trying to trade my best players because I can’t afford them, like the Indians, or just refuse to pay any players like the Pirates.
But Let’s not make it seem like it was 15 years ago that the Yankees were spending money
Since 2002 when the luxury tax as we know it was established, the Yankees have had the highest payroll 12 times, were # 2 in payroll 4 times, and # 7 once. They have paid the most in taxes by a wide margin(319 million, # 2 is 149 million), have spent 3.3 billion on opening day payrolls
On the other hand the Red Sox have had the highest payroll once (in 2018 the only year higher than New York,) # 2 6 times, # 3 5 times, #4 4 times, and #6 1 time. They have paid 25 million in luxury tax. spent 2.5 billion on opening day payrolls.
Damon was a perfectly good signing for the Yankees. 14.4 WAR in 4 years, Ellsbury is (and was) an obvious disaster. Red Sox have had a few clunkers as well
For the Indians too, LOL
Yankees and Red Sox make more contractual mistakes because they take more contractual risks. If you sign 10 guys, 2 are going to be Hanley & Pablo (one very mediocre player and one who can’t get on the field or play at all ala Ellsbury). 2 are going to be Ellsbury/Pavano. The big market teams are always going to have more clunkers then the small market teams. Hard to give out any glaring clunkers when you’re most expensive player is $10 million or less. When you’re constantly spending big on the international market on guys like Tanaka, Castillo and Matsuzaka, and spending big on the free agent market as well there’s going to be some bad contracts along the way. The goal is to minimize those deals or find a way to get rid of them as Ben Cherington did in 2012.
Fenway’s comment about large market teams having more clunkers than small market teams is correct but he didn’t finish the thought. Small market teams are more risk averse bc they cannot afford the clunker contract. The clunker or albatross contract would be devastating for a small market team and negatively affect it for many years.
laugh at the “thrown away millions” like the Sox do on Panda, and your Cuban flameout in the minors….to speak of just a few. When you’re the pot, don’t call the kettle black pal!
Damon was totally a steal. I’d do that deal a hundred times over
Plantar fasciitis is the worst.
The worst?
Its figurative speech.
What is people’s obsession with taking figurative speech literally?
Obsession?
*nowheredan
hEY WAIT A MINUTE!!! >:(
I suffer from it, in fact I’m obsessed with it……..but my back injury hurts way more than plantar ever will.
+suffer
Thats great pal.
You are still taking what getright11 said about plantar fasciitis literally. Do you also argue that its not really raining cats and dogs too?
Actually, I’m taking it physically. But since you insist on attacking me, I’ll just ignore you from here on out. You’re not worth it.
+suffer
Actually, you are not. (see how fun literal language is?)
Anyway, even if that was possible, you’d still be taking what getright11 said the wrong way. Close your eyes and plug your ears all you want but you still took figurative speech literally.
I cant wait for you to tell me something along the lines of “time doesnt actually fly when youre having fun!” or “you didnt actually tell me a million times that i was taking figurative speech literally!” lol
literally?
+nymetsking
p h y s i c a l l y
Plantar most likely contributes to the back problems.
Dear language expert,
The following sentence is redundant, “Do you also argue that its not really raining cats and dogs too?”
Get rid of either “also” or “too”
Do you work for the department of redundancy department?
need wipes?
Plantar fasciitis is the best.
+nashville
Yes, that is a grammatical error on my part. Nice catch. However, if you think I am getting onto sufferfortribe for grammatical errors, you are highly mistaken. I, generally, only care about the content of what you are saying in a comment section on the internet rather than the grammar of it.
He willfully misinterpreted a very obvious figure of speech by taking the literal interpretation. He wanted to make the argument that there are worse things than plantar fasciitis (in which he eventually did anyway, even after being notified that getright11 wasnt actually saying that plantar fasciitis was the worst) so that he can be correct for once. All I tried to do was alert him of his misinterpretation, so that we could avoid being subject to a list of things that are worse than plantar fasciitis, as if we truly think its the worst. Its not my fault that this made him go into “woe is me” mode all while still making the aforementioned misinterpretation.
Willfully? Now you’re saying that you know how my mind works? Who are you really, Kreskin?
Well did you do it against your will?You can argue that you did it accidentally due to lack of knowledge/understanding. Which is fair enough, except you were informed multiple times and still kept misinterpreting a simple statement, for whatever reason.
I dont need to be a mind reader to just observe the information you provide and make a reasonable conclusion. You act like these very simple conclusions are crazy stretches of the imagination when they are not.
m8, just accept that you are wrong and move on. you misunderstood someone and you were set to argue against a strawman before i stepped in (and then you tried finishing your argument against the strawman anyway when you told that strawman that your back pain was much worse than your plantar fasciitis). no need to pout and cry every time someone corrects you when you misunderstand simple statements. Be careful not to misrepresent the points I make again if you happen to reply. I couldve went on about how you misrepresented what I said by claiming that I was saying I knew how your mind works, but i figure thatd go over your noggin as well
The good thing about all this is that no team is going to hire you
Seriously clepto, you need medical help. Trolling is a mental disorder, but you can fight it. I hope ‘19 for you is the year you want to better yourself as person and rise above your illness.
+Ruff
he is just looking out for us! sometimes you need wipes
Ruff, I swear clepto is 3rdSL…
Right? I wish it upon no one. Just hearing Dominick Cruz (former UFC and WEC Bantamweight champion) talk about his struggles with plantar fasciitis makes me cringe.
Is that the cause of shin splints? I had them (shin splints) really bad in the military, it seemed like it would never go away, it just kept coming back no matter how long (1.5 months max) I was able to get out of having to go running or hiking. I remember having it so bad I could barely walk, good times.
Uhh I’m not exactly sure. I know the way D. Cruz said he got Plantar Fasciitis. To try and summarize, Cruz had multiple ACL tears that put him on the shelf for long periods of time. The long lay-offs weakened the tissue/muscles on the bottom of his feet. So when he finally started training again, he went from 0 to 100 real quick to train for a 5 round fight and because of that it tore up his feet. I feel like that couldve happened to J. Ellsbury.
From some quick google searches, I don’t think shin splints cause plantar fasciitis, or vice versa. Although they do seem to have some potential causes in common, from what i am seeing they arent necessarily related
This conversation thread is literally the worst thing since it rained cats and dogs this morning
It’s only coming down in buckets here 😉
wow how rude! i took that physically;)
I rest my case. You are an ***.
+suffer
no jokes allowed? got it. get over yourself m8 you absolute pout
Elsbury contract insurance makes for more reason not playing, find injury to keep off field. Maybe more valuable to a Yankee team. Plantar fasciitis has nutrient absorption problem root a lot. And calf muscle trigger points. Can be precursor to fibromyalgia so hope it is just fake injury pump up for insurance, for Elsbury the man sake. Baseball sometimes second for health.
I’ve had it and it’s really painful
Salazar will be the bullpen ace that the Indians are looking for – considering Brad Hand will be the closer.
Not going to happen.
Tropeano and Myers have never seriously been considered to break into the rotation this spring. But it would have been great to have one or both behind Pena to be there as depth.
Barria will be the 5th starter
Yep. But it looks like Pena might step in if either of the new two guys fail. Was hoping Tropeano or Myers would be capable of depth.
Griffin Canning will be in the rotation by June. 1) Angel pitchers cannot stay healthy. 2) Canning is for real.
Still can’t believe the Yankees paid all that money for Ellsbury. Only one great season and then all downhill from there.
Even that season wasn’t exactly great considering what he got paid. They paid for 2011 Ellsbury even though it was clear by that point that 2011 Ellsbury was a weird one-hit wonder.
Three signings by the Yankees I thought at the time were horrible signings.
1. Ells
2. Arod
3. Stanton (TBD)
The Yankees didn’t sign Stanton they traded for him
It remains to be seen about Stanton. If he can stay healthy I think he’s good for 35+ hrs a year with a few really, really good seasons in the 40+ range.
After hearing of Ellsbury’s plantar fasciitis, Zaidi has decided to offer the Yankees Bumgarner for the prized outfielder.
I thought the Ellsbury contract was bad from the onset, but I never imagined it would be this much of a disaster. $84MM so far and 9.5 WAR to show for it.
A good portion of it has been returned via insurance though. The problem is the need to keep him on the 40 man in the offseason.
Good point, I forgot that they had a policy on him. Still, I think a contract where you need an insurance policy to avoid taking a bath on it is still a terrible one, and he certainly poses a major roster issue for whenever he is healthy.
It’s funny that with those numbers, it comes out to just under $9m per 1 WAR, which would mean his contract was pretty fair if you’re going by the 1 WAR = about $8m. Yet we all know his contract is an albatross.
Tough break. I hear all the time about medical advances, seems like that would be a great one to try and treat/cure. Albert and Ellsbury alone would have spent millions on treatment/cure.
I’ll bet his plantar fasciitis doesn’t keep him from going places and spending all that money he’s not earning.
You try being a world class athlete with plantar fasciitis you jealous pout
So now I’m jealous? How’d you cone up with that one?
I have all I’ll ever need or want. My God provides.
Because youre complaining that someone is making money. You are also trying to discredit the guy by claiming he is not earning what he makes. Ellsbury earned his money the moment he was offered the contract.
Because I make a comment I’m suddenly complaining? Wow, you sure do stretch things to unrealistic levels.
You do not believe he is earning his money and you are downplaying the effect that plantar has on a professional athlete. Because of this, there are implications that you are not satisfied with his actions. Expressing feelings of dissatisfaction with Ellsbury is complaining. If you were to look up the definition of “complain”, youd find it fitting.
Not so much of stretch, now is it?
You’re right Begamin.
Easy to hate Ells, but plantar fasciitis is real.
Another (overpaid) athlete with it is Pujols.
+xabial
Plantar doesnt heal easily, either. Especially when you are an athlete and you have to stay in shape.
Hopefully Ells can get healthy enough to be traded somewhere where he will see playing time.
You are a weird person.
+scrap
You got that right.
Traded somewhere he plays? Ells is most likely retiring after this contract. I think he realizes now that his body can’t take the punishment of a baseball season.
He can both be traded somewhere he can play and retire after his contract. Of course these are some big Ifs. I was just saying for his sake i hope he gets traded and has a spot to play wherever he goes. Even if he gets 100% healthy theres not a spot for him on the Yankees current roster
No, it’s not complaining. It’s called an opinion. Big difference there, which it seems you’re having a hard time figuring out.
+suffer
I think youre the one that has a hard time figuring things out. Complaining and having an opinion is not mutually exclusive. A complaint is merely an expression of dissatisfaction.
At any rate, I am allowed to have an opinion on your opinion, complain about your complaint. I cant believe I still have to argue semantics with you, and God forbid someone corrects you.
I dont know what kind of backwards world you live in but it sucks [look, its an example of a complaint and an opinion all in one! i made it special for you:)]
Once again, you are an ***.
+suffer
oh boo hoo. i understand now that this is how you behave when someone corrects you and you cant correct them. it must be so frustrating when you cant change the definitions of words so that you can be right for once on an internet comment section. you’ll get em next time champ.
It must be frustrating for you, not being able to figure out how to make capital letters.
+suffer
lmao is that supposed to be a good insult? absolutely embarrassing m8. get it together
“Cueto for Ellsbury is totally fair” said Yankee homers.
Eh, I only felt like that was a small few. I was on the boat that said Ells+prospects for Cueto. Simply because Ells would even out the salaries a bit, while even providing salary relief for the Giants.
why would the yankees send prosoects in a deal for Cueto? he’s owed $23 mil more, probably won’t pitch much in 2019, and is 33 i think? makes no sense. yankees would be doing the giants a favor. ppl are assuming he’s going to fully recover. his velocity was down to 89 mph. his peripherals weren’t that great despite his ERA. not much of a geat history of performance after TJ for guys in their 30s.
i think Cueto would be worth more to the Giants if he remains on their roster for the remainder of his contract than the $21M theyd be able to save by swapping him with Ellsbury. Thats why. They could wait for him to show any signs of life and get a much better trade than Ells so they have no real incentive to trade him for nothing but Ells. To make them want to make that trade you would have to send more to the Giants. Therefor, Ells+ prospects for Cueto.
Keep in mind, that by prospects i mean mid to low level prospects. Not top prospects.
Also keep in mind that I am not saying that its the move either team should make. However, if they were to make that trade that is how it will get done, as it currently stands.
huge leap to assume that the 33 year old Cueto will return back to form following TJ surgery. We’re not talking about a 22 yo kid whose body is at its peak. his velocity was down to 89 and he likely will need to be a finesse pitcher here on out. also he’s going to miss most of 2019. moving his deal for Ells would save them 21 mil which for the Giants might be the difference that allows them to sign someone significant or offset a high salary like perhaps Harper.
but as a Yanks fan, I’d want no part of Cueto at all. would rather cut Ellsbury than trade him for Cueto.
Hey, knickscavsfan, take a look at Cuetos stats over the last 3 years. Then look at the amount of games Ellsbury has played. Good, now stop spreading your garbage.
+knicks
He always kinda has been a finesse guy. Also, I dont expect him to return to form. He doesnt even really need to in this scenario. If he even throws a sub 4 or near 4 ERA every year for the remainder of his contract, I would say that brings the Giants more value than the $21M they would save by swapping him with Ellsbury
@baseball1600
You’re looking at it quite differently than I assume the Yanks and Giants do, This deal would have little to do with what either can contribute on the field, for the most part.
From the Giant perspective it’s about saving money on a bad contract. If Cueto was a FA this year recovering from TJ surgery (which would keep him off the field at least until Aug 2019 but possibly not until 2020) would he be able to get a FA contract anywhere near 3/$70 mil (what he’s owed over the remaining years)? No where close to it. Maybe a 1/$2 mil deal with incentives? So knowing that, the Giant’s should be ecstatic to get rid of his contract and save tens of millions which could be re-purposed for an impact player (Harper?).
The difference between Ells guarantee and Cueto’s guarantee PLUS whatever else they recoup from the insurance policy on Ells contract (and insurance policies are transferable in a trade so long as the coverage period hasn’t expired) can’t be ignored.
So if a trade were made with no other mlb players involved…
2019- A wash assuming both are on DL as insurance would apply to both,
2020-If Ells is on DL and Cueto is healthy then the Giants save about $15 mil. (Cueto’s salary – the difference between Ells salary – insurance coverage). Giants out-of-pocket would only be about $5 mil.
2021-Ells contract is done. They pay the $5 mil buyout but because Cueto is off the books they save another $15 mil.
2022-Giants save $5 mil because they don’t have to pay Cueto’s buyout of his last year.
So in all, if Ells never plays a game again and Cueto plays late 2019/2020 the Giants can save up to $35 mil.
If the Yanks keep Ells and he misses most or all of 2019 and 2020 then after insurance they pay about $17 mil out of pocket and save about $$30 mil from insurance coverage.
First to your point of looking at Cueto’s past 3 seasons. WHO CARES what he did 3 years ago in his age 30, 31 and 32 seasons? He’s 33 years old NOW, will miss most of 2019 as he recovers from TJ surgery. However, let’s look at his last 3 years. 2016 he was outstanding and his velocity sat around 92 mph. 2017 was a disaster for him with a 4.5 ERA/4.52 FIP. He missed most of July and August, partially to a forearm injury. He started off great in 2018 but his velocity had dropped to 89 mph. He’s heavily reliant on the velocity differential of his FB vs change-up. In August 2018 he was shut down with TJ surgery and will miss almost all of 2019. Who can say what can be expected of Cueto who will be 34 at the start of ST 2020? Can anyone expect him to be a 150-200 IP/sub 4.00 ERA starter? Can he succeed without a 93 mph FB to play against his 83 mph change-up? If his velocity sits at 89 mph is that enough separation for his change-up to be as effective?
The ONLY glimmer of hope the Yanks might gleam from a trade is if upon Cueto’s return in 2020 he could hold down a starting spot as a serviceable innings eater with potential upside of being better than that. That’s a HUGE if and a RISKY proposition. Considering the fact the Yanks can get the majority of Ells money back so long as he remains on the DL and the fact that there are plenty of serviceable back end starters that can he had for considerably less than what’s owed to Cueto I don’t see Cashman willing to do a flat Ellsbury for Cueto trade. What’s the upside? He probably won’t play in 2019 and he’ll be 34 and 35 in 2020/2021. We can’t assume that a 33 yo is going to rebound as well as a 23 yo. A 23 yo doesn’t have the miles and wear and tear of a 33 who’s pitched well over 1,800 innings.
The only way I see the Yanks taking on Cueto is if the Giants send them prospect assets (one or two) that don’t require being added to the the 40 man roster. It has to be low level talent with a potentially high ceiling tho. That can be a flame throwing player in rookie ball or Dominican league with control or projected health issues that might force him to the bullpen or a “toolsy” position player that shows flashes of hit/power/speed but has contact issues,etc
I have limited knowledge of the Giants farm so forgive me if these guys have advanced significantly from 2018 prospect ratings but a prospect or prospects like a Camilo Doval and/or a Manuel Geraldo type. Guys that still need a lot of development and don’t need to be added to the 40 man thus allowing the Yanks to replace Ells 40-man roster spot with someone ready to contribute to the 25 man OR simply protect another prospect from the Rule 5 draft.
But I doubt either team would be banking a trade for the 2 for what they might contribute on the field. The Yanks can absorb Cueto’s contract but should get an asset in return for doing so and saving the Giants a ton of money under the proposed scenario or Ells never taking the field again but Cueto returning to play.
But his notion of the Yanks needing to send prospects to the Giants is absurd.
I don’t agree with you knickscavsfan. Ellsbury has absolutely no value. Cueto might provide some when he returns. I see no chance for the Yankees to get rid of Elsbury.
again, you missed the point. neither the giants nor the yankees would be doing it for what they might do on the field. i spelled out that the giants motivation would be to save money and i went to great lengths to lay out the facts, not opinion.
+knicks
Maybe I am nitpicking here, but i dont think the Giants would be saving $5 mil from not having to pay Cuetos buyout when they payed Ellsbury’s. With either player they would have to pay a $5 buyout, just at a different time.
That said, the thoughtful analysis is well appreciated. I disagree with the perceived value of Cueto though. I still think Cueto even throwing around a 4.00 ERA for 2 1/4 years (assuming he plays a little bit of 2019) is probably worth more to the Giants than the money theyll save. Especially considering they would have other, more beneficial, trade opportunities if they let him get healthy and he pitches decently enough. The injury and the velocity declining are major concerns. However, he seemed to have adjusted to the lower velocity as was pitching well until injury in 2018. Another thing worth considering is that the Yankees’ wheelhouse when it comes to pitching is with finesse pitchers. Or more appropriately, taking pitchers who cant throw as hard anymore and reinventing them. It was successful with CC, Tanaka to an extent, J. Mont doesnt have high velocity either and he was pitching decently enough when he was healthy. Although they did completely ruin Grays approach, it generally seems to be a strength in the Yankees’ pitching philosophy and Cueto could be a benefactor of that.
Jacoby can only be currently used as means to even out money swapped. He is currently dead weight outside of that. If both Jacoby and Cueto were to become healthy again, you could probably bank on Cueto being the more valuable player. While Jacoby could still be a serviceable OF and put up 1-2 WAR, a healthy Cueto could probably do much better than that.
Im still set with the idea that if the Yankees and Giants agreed to do a Ells-Cueto swap, the Yankees would have to send over some prospects, even with Cuetos question marks.
We can agree to disagree. But I showed you how the Giants could save money. Would be smart for them to cut bait and save $30 mil,
No way should the Yanks send prospects if they are assuming more money. What Cueto will be is completely debatable.
This website has become a cesspool of personal attacks. I remember when it used to be a place where people could voice their opinions without fear of asinine reprisals.
Maybe the internet isnt for you. If you can find a real life echo chamber you’ll find that nobody will correct you for taking figurative speech literally. Talk about asinine…
Suffer, Maybe you should try just closing your mouth for awhile. You seem to stir things up unnecessarily.
Why, because people don’t agree with my opinions? That makes it my fault?
I direct my comments towards the players in the article, people direct their nasty comments towards me. Isn’t that considered a personal attack?
I agree with you buddy. It’s not worth it anymore. Barely come on anymore while I’m taking my poops. I’ll just play games from now on. Stupid trolls who only bad mouth people who don’t like their teams or just think they are cool and repeat the same thing over again.
Not to mention the trolls of certain canvases prove how obnoxious they can be and everything people say about them in general is true.
downvoted
But he’s one of those posters… He does well on posts about his Indians, but when you have posts about a team like the Red Sox or the Yanks, he gets his panties in a ruffle, and wonders why they’re talking about them.
@simschifan
Agreed. I’ve been playing an 8-ball pool game app recently. Way more enjoyable than getting hacked away at by lots of hateful posters here.
I upvoted this comment for sharing your insight on when you’re on this site #pointsforpoops
need wipes?
@sufferfortribe I agree to an extent. I don’t care if someone disagrees. It’s just another guys opinion and I’m open to all logic based ideas even if I might disagree. But I’ve noticed guys commenting about votes and grammar and other things which aren’t really pertinent to baseball discussions. I by no means am the “grammar police” but the type of heated exchanges that are off topic get to be a bit too much,
I’m getting tired of paying for these weak players like Ellsbury and I’m probably not alone. What’s next…another year off for a hang nail?
I mean, as disappointing as Ellsbury’s contract has been, do you expect him to play through a torn labrum, then hip surgery, then plantar? (the only way to really heal plantar fasciitis is to rest. being active on your feet with it just aggravates it)
The trend is not gonna change anytime soon. Players seem to be more and more injury prone. Humans are just weaker overall. Perfect example, the disabled list is now the injured list… smh
It was a PC change, but injured list does make more sense than the old disabled list. If they’re disabled, they probably aren’t playing again…kind of like Ells actually.
You own the Yankees?
It’s not like it wasn’t known Ellsbury had a history of injuries well before he became a FA and taking a long time to recuperate from them, sometimes disappearing while doing so as well.
It’s not going to do any good making more complaints now because they gave him that huge deal being fully aware of his known history at the time and how it would probably have continued going forward. Add he’s a Boras guy, who will want (and always has) his guys on the field 100% healthy unless a FA year and the issue is compounded.
Let it pass and forget about him until he takes the field, how have come to look at Pedroia myself the last season and how looked at JD drew when he played for the Sox. It does help.
The way the contracts for ellsbury, Céspedes and pujols are working out are one of the reasons teams are now moving away from mega deals. How come verlander doesn’t acknowledge that when he is complaining about teams not spending as he thinks they should? For a long time veteran players have thrown younger players under the bus for the sake of getting paid. Now that teams have wised up and determine the value of players differently, the players can’t complain about the system they helped put in place. Next time the CBA is up for negotiation they must work towards a system that benefits players at an earlier stage of their career and acknowledge that long terms deals (5+ years) are not going to happen anymore.
I’ll think 5 year deals will still happen. It’ll be less likely. Harper is not consistent. And if Manny Machado hadn’t uttered those words about hustling, he would already have a 5 year deal. He still may get one. I do not see anything above that…maybe Mike Trout. Though, he’ll be 28 when he’s a free agent. I don’t see anyone getting a long term contract thrown their way past age 35.
That would be my limit. Once you hit 35, you are no more than 2 year contracts.
Random, but I played Tustin Eastern Little League with James Kaprielian. I was a catcher and caught him. Played on the Yankees with him. His dad Doug was our coach. Coach Doug was a great coach, but since he was James’ father, he would push him so much to be the best that at 9yrs old James had elbow tendinitis. James is a terrific talent and I’m hoping he can get passed his arm issues. He’ll be fun to watch if healthy. I would love to see him pitch against the halos at the big A.
Thats actually pretty cool! Small world, huh?
Coolest thing from my baseball days as a kid was probably that I played catch with Matt Joyce. He was on the Rays at the time. I think my AAU coach new some people in the organization or something.
Also worth noting is that I think i played at the same little league field as Chone Figgins. I dont know if thats true or if thats just what people say but I know i almost went to the same high school he did (Brandon High School)
I wonder how many more people here have cool experiences with MLB players
Very cool!
By the way my name is Brandon haha. Funny you mention (Brandon high school)
Talk about coincidence haha.
Sometimes the stars align just right
Closest I can come is a famous semi-pro player bought me a drink once….George Thorogood. Yes, that George of rock and blues fame. His band was originally called the Delaware Destroyers as was the semi-pro team he played 2nd base for. He has such a love for baseball that he didn’t tour during the summer for many years so he could play ball.
Other than that I did go to HS with NFL HoF’er Randy White. Didn’t know him well other then the head nod or chin jut of mild recognition.
A few years into his Cowboy playing days he was home visiting his family. I was pumping gas at one of those newfangled pump your own stations and Randy was on the other side of the pump.
We both stood at about 6’4″ but I weighed about 185 and he was a solid wall of muscle and about 260. I put my arm on top of the pump in an arm wrestle pose and jokingly said “You wanna?”. He looked at me and laughed saying “No, I better not, camp starts soon and I can’t risk injury.” Thankfully he had a great since of humor.
Lol now you can tell everyone you were so imposing that Randy White was too scared to arm wrestle ya
That was back in off season of……..probably 76 or 77. I have seen recent pictures of him….he still doesn’t have a neck and has arms the size of my thigh….lol.
If I could (health prevents me) I would travel to Dallas and go to his BBQ restaurant wearing my McKean HS sweat shirt (that is a bit too small and tattered) just to see if he is there.
In HS the football coach Mr. Tanner has a cage in hid office with a homemade placard that said “Randy White” or just “White” I can’t remember which. Randy even made basketball a full contact sport…lol.
Dude, Tustin was the first city I played little league in, and I think it was Tustin Eastern. So rad to read that. Thanks for sharing!
Along the same lines, my parents were very close friends with Joe Kelly’s parents when he and I were little and I was hoping to see Joe pitch for the Halos this season. Bummed he ended up in blue, but cool to see him back in SoCal.
Jokecoby Ellsbury
Funny thing about the sparkle in Yankee haters’ eyes every time the conversation turns to Ellsbury: the Yankees have the best outfield in baseball without Ellsbury. They also have insurance on most of his salary while he’s on the DL, not to mention about $800M in projected earnings for 2019…so they won’t have any trouble paying his salary once he’s healthy enough to put on the pinstripes and watch the game from the dugout..
So, for the Yankees, Ellsbury is a by-note on a financial report. Only people who think his “terrible” contract is significant in any way are you guys.
I’d hardly call the NYY OF the best in the game, even in the AL East. Is it really good? No doubt and can the loss be absorbed? Of course it can.
My earlier post was misconstrued it looks like also. Was meant to show he’s always been an injury prone player throughout his career. He actually played with a broken foot during his FA year, then THAT season he was looking for big money. Amazing what the lure of cash will do and then afterwards isn’t it? There have been others. Candy Maldonado, tho he never got big dollars was known to take it easy. Of course BJ Upton. I stick Ells up there as well with his being slow to get back from every injury, except that 1 broken foot.
Not true. That money goes towards the luxury tax which teams are using as a de facto salary cap. That Ellsbury money could be what costs them an upgrade at the trade deadline.
Angels injury problems not a mystery. Very easy to solve for even Scooby Doo.
Angels head athletic trainer is Adam Nevala. He graduate from online degree mill called California University of Pennsylvania! Too bad for an Angel prospect come into training run by someone not good trained in training.
The Vulcans of Cal State!
What the hell did I just read?
Umm obviously you read that he not good trained in training…Duh RealGone2…must we explain everything to you?
It saddens me that despite insurance covering most of pillsbury’s salary right now it doesn’t effect the payroll 🙁
huh? why does thst make you sad?
I think he means, it’s a shame that Ellsbury’s contract still counts against the cap.
Exactly
This guy farts the wrong way and he’s out 6 months
Ells has it. Pujols has it. Jay Bruce has it too. I get it now… the only way to avoid plantar fasciitis is to stop giving ridiculous contracts. Ouch. This is coming from someone who lives with pain everyday as a Padres fan.
Ellsbury looking more and more like Carl Pavano….
How is it not obvious the Yankees are frauding the insurance company here? Ellsbury has “sore feet”. If he was actually a valuable player they’d make him take a pain pill and show up. If I was any other team in the MLB I’d be pissed off, and ask for an investigation about this. If they don’t want him they should just release him outright…
he still counts against their luxury tax salary, so I’m sure the other teams don’t mind. If that wasn’t the case, you might have a case here.
I 100% know about the luxury tax part of this situation, but that is not the only thing we should be looking at here. He would have to either take up a roster spot, or be available for another team. Probably some team out there could use him, like the Giants. Force the Yankees to use up options on guys like Frazier could force their hands to trade him as well. This type of Fraud allows them to collect their money back from the insurance company and protects them from making roster decisions they otherwise should have to. They made a bad signing with Ellsbury and BESIDE THE LUXURY TAX, do not have any repercussions to speak of.
Do the Yankees get insurance money for him not playing?
Supposedly……………………. forbes.com/sites/wallacematthews/2018/06/01/jacoby…
Lol. Spring training just beginning and Ellsbury is hurt already. He’s a bum. I
…. I just wish the same to Pedroia!
yankista that says a lot about you. No one is wishing Ells to be on the shelf, unfortunately it’s just inevitable for him.
Just curious, but when will Ellsbury being injured stop being news? Now if he was healthy, THAT would be a story!!
Can you imagine what it costs or what it looks like to get/have an insurance policy on a professional athlete?!? I need to reconsider selling this kind of insurance.