It looks like Jacoby Ellsbury may be wearing out his welcome with the Boston Red Sox according to Paul White of USA Today.
Ellsbury, who played just 19 games in 2010 after a broken rib wiped out his season, could be on the trading block as Theo Epstein plans to do some roster re-stocking this offseason.
White believes that the Mets are among a handful of teams, that could be interested and potentially match up well as Epstein tries to shake things up. Due to some tension between Ellsbury and the team of late, and the fact that despite the injury he is still in high demand, many are speculating that Elsbury has played his final game with the Sox.
The Red Sox are also planning on wooing free agent Jayson Werth this offseason as they look to add some power to their lineup.
The Mets would certainly benefit by the addition of a hitter like Ellsbury, but they currently have a logjam at center field with Carlos Beltran and Angel Pagan.
In 2009, Ellsbury batted .301 with a .355 on-base percentage. In 153 games he hit eight home runs, scored 94 runs, and drove in 60 while leading the AL in stolen bases with 70 and triples with ten.
Ellsbury’s name has also been mentioned in a potential deal for Adrian Gonzalez.
It’s hard to see how the Mets would match up with the Red Sox, especially with the uncertainty of Carlos Beltran who ended the season on the DL and has yet to prove he is healthy. I mention Beltran only because he was the subject of a few rumors last offseason connecting him to the Red Sox, but neither team ever confirmed those rumors.
It’s definitely worth exploring, and with the recent rumors swirling around Jose Reyes, Ellsbury would certainly be able to replace him at the top of the lineup.
