Red Sox rumors: Jacoby Ellsbury unlikely to be traded

Jacoby Ellsbury has been a tough player to crack the past couple seasons. When healthy and locked in at the plate, he is an All-Star caliber outfielder who can anchor the top-half of a lineup. Unfortunately for the Red Sox, Ellsbury has been unable to consistently avoid the disabled list; for the second time in three seasons, Ellsbury played fewer than 75 games in 2012.

There were rumors earlier in the offseason that the Red Sox could look to trade Ellsbury should the right deal come along. That is no longer the case, though, according to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports. Heyman tweeted on Monday that Boston had been "rebuffing" any trade offers for the 28-year-old outfielder in recent weeks, and that it would take nothing short of a boatload of talent to deal him.

One of the more enticing options with Ellsbury is that he could bring a first round draft pick next year should he sign elsewhere as a free agent. For a front office that is determined to rebuild the franchise, adding a first round pick could go a long way into making the Sox a perennial title contender.