The New York Yankees have decided to purchase the contract of long-time first baseman Jack Elliot, giving them another bat to boost their offense. Elliot played 14 seasons with the Yankees, six of them at the All-Star level. After Elliot’s production began to slide the past few seasons, the team decided to sell him to the Chunichi Dragons of the Japanese League during the offseason.
Elliot initially clashed with his teammates and the culture in Japan, but after making an attitude adjustment and learning their ways, he began to get into a groove. During one stretch this month, Elliot homered in seven straight games, threatening the Japanese record set by his manager. He hit over .330 in 76 games with the Dragons while clubbing 22 home runs, becoming a fan favorite for the team.
The Yankees, suddenly ravaged by injuries, were seeking a bat on the open market. However, they were reluctant to part with valuable prospects from their minor league system which is what potential trade partners were seeking. Instead, they entered negotiations with the Dragons last week, a team source informed LBS. They ultimately decided to exercise a return clause that was part of the contract when the Yankees sold Elliot to Chunichi.
The Yanks were forced to pay the Dragons an extra $3 million as a penalty because Elliot failed to complete a full season in Japan, but with the team needing an extra bat for the rest of the season, the move was well worth it. Early report say Elliot has been absolutely locked in at the plate during workouts with the club. The news of the acquisition went over well with fans as talk radio has already been buzzing about the move. The team plans to create a Jack Elliot bobblehead giveaway for August.
This post is a part of the Friday Film Festival at Larry Brown Sports. All contents of the story are purely fictional and based entirely off the sports movie, Mr. Baseball. To learn more about the movie, go here
