According to a report from both CBSSports.com and ESPN, Jacoby Ellsbury, the starting center fielder of the 2013 World Series champion Red Sox, has agreed to a seven-year deal with the New York Yankees. It’s a stunning blow to the freshly crowned champions, and (pending Ellsbury passes the physical, which he will) it will represent the a serious swing in talent between the epic rivals of the American League East.

The exact terms of the Ellsbury contract are not yet known, however the years (seven) is definite, according to the sources. The money-total is said to be in excess of Carl Crawford’s famous deal in December of 2010, which was $142 million.

Given that the deal will exceed Crawford’s total and is seven years in length, Ellsbury, who is 30-years old, will be an aging veteran when the contract is finally up in 2020.

The other interesting point is what it says about the prospect of Robinson Cano resigning in New York as well. New York’s determination to stay underneath the luxury tax threshold (any team with a payroll over $189 million has to pay the tax) might dictate that their money is already largely committed on Ellsbury and the rest of the team, leaving not enough for Cano. His departure would be a major blow to the Yankees.

 Images via CBSSports