Is it too Early to Discuss Jacoby Ellsbury’s Pending Salary Arbitration?
By Editorial Staff
As much as I wish the Red Sox were still playing on towards a World Championship, I do love the off season activities. I enjoy the speculations and all of the Hot Stove discussions. One of my favorite subjects to write about is Jacoby Ellsbury. Already the recipient of this years Comeback Player of the Year award, I suspect he will be collecting a few more hardware for his trophy case this off season. He is almost a certainty to win the Silver Slugger award and with the Gold Glove award becoming more of a popularity award amongst major league mangers, I expect him to win his first Gold Glove. Do you think he will be the American league MVP? Will all of these awards result in a salary increase for next year?
Concerning the MVP. I do think he will win. Going into September, I felt the candidates were; Justin Verlander, Miguel Cabrera, Curtis Granderson, Adrian Gonzalez and Ellsbury. Who had a better September than Ellsbury? Granderson and Gonzalez faded in the month. If Justin Verlander could have mustered out his 25th win, I think he would have been the favorite but the Orioles but an end to that on Verlander’s last start of the year. Miguel Cabrera isn’t even his own teams MVP, that would be Verlander. That leaves Ellsbury. While the rest of the team was collapsing, Jacoby only got better. He became the first 30-30 player in Red Sox history. His 3 home run day against the Yankees in the double header with the last being a three run blast in extra innings certainly helped his cause.
What position does this put the already scrutinized ownership in? New Red Sox General Manager, Ben Cherington is going to have his hands full trying to bring this team back to respectability. He is also going to have to sit down with Ellsbury and his agent Scott Boras and hammer out another contract. Ellsbury will be salary arbitration eligible for the next two years before he becomes an unrestricted free agent. Who doesn’t feel that we have little time to enjoy watching Ellsbury roam center field for the Sox? There are already rumblings that Jacoby felt his teammates alienated him this year due to how he handled his injuries from last year. One of Theo Epstein’s claim to fame was his record of no salary arbitration hearings under his watch. What salary figure will ownership allow Ben Cherington offer? If Ellsbury and Boras feel that it isn’t enough, do they fight it or just chalk it up to another bad decision by the management of the Red Sox and plan their exit strategy? If Crawford gets fourteen plus million per year, what is Ellsbury worth? Yes, it was only one year, one phenomenal year actually. Are the Sox willing to roll the dice and low ball Ellsbury next year and tell him to prove this wasn’t a fluke? I think Ellsbury has made it clear that when his time comes, he will test the free agent waters. But, what if the Sox come to him this off season and blow him away with an offer, telling him how they want him and Dustin Pedroia to be the face of this team for years to come? Will Ellsbury start feeling appreciated and lean towards a long term contract? One thing is for sure. If Ellsbury does collect the awards due to him, then he will be in the driver’s seat for any negotiations this off season.
Interesting to see how this plays out, I just hope the Sox do the right thing. Reward the players that deserve it. If Ben Cherington really wants to make a splash in this town, find a way to sign Ellsbury to a long term contract now. Show your more interested in developing young talent within your own organization and not with over priced aging free agents.
You sure you still want this job Mr. Cherington?
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