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Jacoby Ellsbury is absolutely one of the biggest free agent names out there and he will get paid, and I mean paid. He is arguably the best leadoff hitter in the MLB and he is a great centerfielder. There have been quite a few teams who make sense for Ellsbury to sign with and the Boston Red Sox are one of them. However, recently a dark horse team has been mentioned and when you think about it, they make a lot of sense. That team is the Chicago Cubs.
When you heard about teams that may have an interest in Ellsbury, it would mostly be about the Los Angeles Dodgers or the Seattle Mariners. The Cubs have rarely been mentioned but they would make a lot of sense in so many ways. First of all, the president of baseball operations for the Cubs is none other than Theo Epstein, who drafted him in Boston. The general manager is Jed Hoyer who also is from the Boston organization. There would be a sense of familiarity and perhaps some comfort for Ellsbury. As well, the Cubs do have a lot of money and they are looking to field a winner sooner rather than later. A century of no World Series titles will make one have an appetite for putting together a competitive team.
Ellsbury has done very well in Boston under pressure. Chicago has passionate fans but it isn’t as intense as Boston or New York or Philadelphia. Cubs fans will love a player almost no matter what and they would probably fall in love with how Ellsbury plays. With such a small park as Wrigley Field, Ellsbury could run down a lot of balls and hit quite a few out. The field could really do a lot for his game.
Besides, let’s say Ellsbury signs with the Cubs and they win the World Series while he is there. He would get to experience what he missed in 2004 in Boston. He would never have to pay for a meal in Chicago ever again. I don’t want to see him leave, but the Cubs would be a great landing spot for him if he does.
Carter Roane is a Boston Red Sox writer for www.Rantsports.com. Follow him on Twitter @CarterGRoane, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.
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