Going into this week’s GM Meetings, Brian Cashman acknowledged the Yankees have too many outfielders. Which means there could be an outfield shakeup next season.
Cashman says Aaron Hicks is expected to be an everyday starter in the Yankees outfield. “We wouldn’t have been playing him every day in the postseason if we didn’t think that.”
— Bryan Hoch (@BryanHoch) November 13, 2017
With Cashman acknowledging Hicks’ importance to the team, there are a couple of scenarios that could play out; it’s plausible the Yankees could be building Hicks’ trade value, or the Yankees might finally move Jacoby Ellsbury this winter.
Ellsbury was essentially demoted to a fourth outfielder over the course of the season, and defensively, the most productive outfield going forward would be Brett Gardner, Hicks, and Aaron Judge.
It still might be tough for the Yankees to find a taker for Ellsbury–he’s owed $63,428,571 over the next three seasons, and he has a no-trade clause. However, it seems the Yankees are losing patience with the 34-year-old. In 112 games this season, Ellsbury hit .264/.348/.402 with seven homers, 39 RBI and a -0.1 WAR.
While his production hasn’t been terrible, it’s definitely underwhelming given his contract. And if Cashman is serious about giving the center field position to Hicks, then we can expect a huge blockbuster deal before Spring Training.
