Red Sox fans who don’t wear pink hats never took to Jacoby Ellsbury.

Maybe it was his undeserved reputation as “soft,” or jealousy of his boyish good looks. Whatever the case, Ellsbury was never embraced as one of this city’s own.

The former first-round pick, and Oregon native was always viewed as a bit of a mercenary. Ellsbury is represented by super agent Scott Boras, and didn’t sign a team-friendly extension that bought out his arbitration and early free agent years like his peers Dustin Pedroia, Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz.

Ellsbury’s free agent departure was believed to be inevitable, which is seemingly why few fans were surprised when the Yankees inked him to a seven-year, $153 million contract in December.

It was a wise business decision for the Red Sox to let Ellsbury leave. Most 30-year-old outfielders don’t age well, and Jackie Bradley Jr. is under team control until 2019. When the veteran moved on, the young guy took his place. It’s as simple as that.

The Red Sox reportedly offered Ellsbury a six-year deal for less than $120 million, or a five-year contract worth $100 million. The figures apparently weren’t even close. The Yankees offered Ellsbury a much better deal. He would’ve been a fool not to take it.

It’s unfair to expect every player to follow in Pedroia’s footsteps, and continually take less money to remain in Boston. Given that Robinson Cano agreed to a 10-year, $240 million contract with the Mariners this winter, it’s fair to surmise that Pedoria left more than $100 million on the table when he signed an eight-year, $110 million extension last summer.

Ellsbury shouldn’t be scorned for testing the open market. Former Major League Baseball Players’ Union head Marvin Miller fought hard for his clients to be able to file for free agency. Players have the freedom to dictate how they want to handle their financial futures.

When Ellsbury – who’s hitting .338 this season – steps up to the plate for the first time Tuesday night, the Fenway Faithful should reward him for his contributions to two Red Sox World Series titles.

For more than six seasons and a total of $20,802,000, Ellsbury batted .297 with a .350/.439/.789 stat line in Boston. He secured three stolen base titles, and put up a monstrous, 32-home run 2011 campaign in which he finished second in MVP voting.

Ellsbury more than fulfilled his obligations when he was in a Red Sox uniform. Fans shouldn’t jeer him because he exercised his rights as a free agent this winter.

If fans want to boo, they should target whoever is leading off for the hometown team Tuesday. Red Sox leadoff hitters have gone a combined 15-79 this year.

Sometimes you don’t miss what you have until it’s gone.

Photo via AP

You can read more stories on Boston startups, technology and innovation at https://www.bizjournals.com/boston/inno