The Yankees promised to move swiftly with or without Robinson Cano — and they are keeping that promise.
The Bronx Bombers agreed to a seven-year, $153 million deal with free-agent outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury on Tuesday pending a physical, according to multiple sources. A friend of Ellsbury’s said he flew from Phoenix to New York on Tuesday to take the physical, but another person involved in the negotiations insisted the matter remained “close, but fluid” with a few items to complete to finalize a contract that would include an option for an eighth year that, if triggered, would bring the total value to $169 million.
The Ellsbury agreement came on the same day that the Yankees made Brian McCann’s five-year, $85 million deal official. So that is $238 million already spent on two big free agents. The Yankees’ shopping list remains long and Cano remains on it. But the organization has insisted publicly and privately and even in meetings with Cano’s officials it is going to keep making purchases and if the money allocated for Cano dries up, the Yankees will either lower their bid or remove it completely.
At $21.85 million per season, the contract would make Ellsbury the second-highest paid outfielder in baseball behind Josh Hamilton, who is making $25 million per season from the Angels.
The Yankees still believe they could come in under $189 million next year with McCann, Ellsbury, Cano (at their price, about $23 million per year) and Hiroki Kuroda. But they would then be unable to do a second high-priced starter, such as Masahiro Tanaka, unless Alex Rodriguez’s contract for next season comes off the books because his suspension is upheld. But the Yankees probably won’t know that until the new year, by which time most of the higher-price pieces should be gone.
A club official said there are no plans to trade Brett Gardner, but instead put him in left, Ellsbury in center and build an offense around speed, on-base skills and a strong defense with two players capable of playing center.
The Yankees had been engaged with Carlos Beltran to play right, but that job now probably will belong to Alfonso Soriano. It is still possible, if Cano does not work out, the Yankees could turn to Shin-Soo Choo to play right field and shift Soriano to DH.
Ellsbury, 30, batted .298 with 52 stolen bases and a .781 OPS in 2013. Only two Yankees last season produced a higher OPS — Cano at .899 and Soriano at .850.
Ellsbury brought speed to the Red Sox and that is what the Yankees will need from him and his 30-year-old legs.
Ellsbury is a table-setter, a player who can easily go from first to third for the Yankees, who had become too slow and too old in winning 85 games last season. Ellsbury hit 32 homers in 2011, but just 13 over the last two seasons as injuries limited him to 208 games. The Yankees are surely hoping his left-handed swing will play well in Yankee Stadium.
Said one AL scout Tuesday night, “Ellsbury gives the Yankees speed and makes them a better ballclub.’’
In a twist of financial fate, the small-market Mariners and Royals are making big pushes for Cano and Beltran, and Beltran’s chance to sign with the Yankees appears to be gone.
The Mariners have money to spend and a desperate need for offense. It was the perception of one official from an AL team that Seattle had yet to get anywhere near the $200 million mark in bidding for Cano. If the Mariners do get there, however, the Yankees continue to insist they will not follow and will, instead, walk away and pursue other avenues.
One Seattle insider said the need to bring a veteran bat to help the young hitters reach their potential has finally arrived.
“It’s time to get the best bat out there,’’ the source said.
The Mariners have the cash, but they always seem to finish a distant second trying to acquire free agent bats.
The Yankees are sitting on their seven-year offer in the $165 million range for Cano, and have shown a willingness to go to about $170 million and put in an eighth-year option.