MLB Trade Rumors: Why the Yankees Should Trade Jacoby Ellsbury for Colorado Rockies' Ian Desmond
The Major League Baseball (MLB) offseason has just started, and talks about possible trades are already surfacing. This week, rumors about the Colorado Rockies trading Ian Desmond for the New York Yankees outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury started to swirl around, and the prospect seems high.
Rumors about the New York Yankees landing another right-handed pitcher started after its loss on the sweepstakes for Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Gerrit Cole. Now that things are already starting to fall into place for the team, the Yankees might start getting active again and bring the attention back to the Bronx.
Ellsbury is owed $68 million for the next three years, so it is likely that not so many MLB teams will want to get him in. However, Joel Sherman of the New York Post wrote in an article this week that it would be worth it trading him for Rockies' Desmond. In fact, he noted that this potential trade might just be the solution to Yankees' issues.
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According to Sherman, the Yankees have pledged to stay under the $197 million luxury-tax threshold this year. With that goal in mind, it would help if the team would build a trade around sending Jacoby Ellsbury to the Rockies for Ian Desmond.
Sherman noted that Desmond has four years at $63 million remaining, and it would be wise for the Rockies to carry out the trade since Desmond was a "miscast disaster" at first base after signing a five-year, $70-million contract last year. According to him, even outside executives deem it necessary for the Colorado Rockies to sign someone else to play first or go with prospect Ryan McMahon. He further explained that Desmond played poorly when he was asked to play in the outfield.
The 32-year-old Desmond is already in his eighth season in the major league, with .274 hits, seven home runs and 40 RBIs in all his 95 games in the previous season.
