THE END! THE YANKS JUST RELEASED ELLSBURY!

It's the end of an era, guys.....more like, the end of an ERROR! Yes, it has finally happened, after this post we never have to talk about Jacoby Ellsbury in a Yankee uniform EVER again. Thank goodness! Christmas has come early this year.

The Yankees had until 8pm yesterday to set their 40-man roster and had some tough decisions to make. Multiple sources reported just minutes after the deadline passed that the Yankees released Ellsbury, but the New York Post's George King and Ken Davidoff were the first to report the suspected rumor earlier in the day, read more HERE.

So, what about the rest of his contract? Unfortunately, cutting the 36-year-old Ellsbury means the Yankees will eat the remaining $26 million on his contract AND it will count towards the luxury tax for 2020 but it opens up other opportunities in the outfield. He hasn't played since the 2017 ALCS anyway, and his last season at $21 million was not going to be covered by insurance so there was no reason to keep him. Time to give his spot to someone else.

Ellsbury wasn't the only move the Yankees made last night. The Yankees also DFA'd Greg Bird and left-hander Nestor Cortes Jr. and added seven players to the 40-man roster including outfielder Estevan Florial and right hander Deivi Garcia. It was time for the Yankees to make these moves. Bird will likely sign with someone else, and if he does I wish him luck. He's always had potential, but we never got to see enough of it thanks to the injuries.

So now, we can FINALLY stop updating about Ellsbury. He's gone. Now we can remember him for the BUST that he was. He was one of the Yankees worst signings of all time and possibly one of the worst in baseball history for that matter. Now he gets to join the ranks of other terrible contracts including the five years and $20 million the Yankees gave Japanese pitcher Kei Igawa, which didn’t even include the $26-million posting fee. There's also Carl Pavano and his $39.95 million over four years and his 5.00 ERA over 25 starts. And don't forget about Kevin Brown and his 10-6 record with a 4.09 ERA. Near the end of the 2004 season he punched a wall in frustration injuring his hand and
his meltdown in the 2004 ALCS.

Good riddance, Ellsbury. Now it is time to make moves that make sense and improve this team. There's no more room for dead weight. I'm glad we no longer have to talk about this guy. Onward and upward, folks!

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa
BYB Managing Editor
Twitter: @NYPrincessj