Ellsbury thanked Farrell after signing with Yanks

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- When free agents bolt for a new home -- like Jacoby Ellsbury did back in December -- you sometimes don't hear about the good-byes they have with their former organization.

Manager John Farrell noted Friday morning that Ellsbury called him shortly after signing his mega-deal with the Yankees, and it sounds like it was a good conversation.

"He called after the deal was agreed upon, and to his credit, he called to say thanks," Farrell said. "I got the sense he was a little surprised it happened so fast and the magnitude that it happened. And I wished him well. We're certainly going to miss him, but now he's on the other side. He handled it with a lot of class. He was very grateful for his time here and he gave thanks to the way things unfolded last year."

Farrell will see Ellsbury in person on March 18, when the Red Sox go to Tampa, Fla., to play the Yankees. The Red Sox open a four-game series in the Bronx on April 10, but the more noteworthy meeting will come April 22, when the Yankees make their first visit to Fenway Park.

Ellsbury won two World Series championships with the Red Sox, the first in 2007 when Farrell was the pitching coach.