The New York Yankees announced on Wednesday night that they have released Jacoby Ellsbury and DFA’d Greg Bird as part of a large group of roster moves.
Ellsbury, 36, has not played for the New York Yankees since 2017 despite being in the midst of a seven-year, $153 million contract. In the four years prior to that, the center fielder hit .264/.330/.386 and accumulated a 9.8 bWAR.
Despite his release, the team will still be responsible for paying over $21 million in 2020 and then a $5 million buy out of his team option for the 2021 season according to Spotrac.
Bird, 27, has not lived up to expectations with the Yankees mostly due to injuries. In 186 career games, the left-handed hitter has a .211/.301/.424 slash line with a 94 OPS+ and 0.1 bWAR.
