Looking back, moving forward key for Ells

Jacoby Ellsbury has barely resembled the player the Yankees hoped they were getting when they signed him to a $153 million deal prior to the 2014 season, and it’s up to hitting coach Alan Cockrell to try to straighten out the center fielder.

“We talk about that all the time, going back to doing some of the things Jacoby did and staying with it [and] not changing lanes so often,” Cockrell said Thursday. “For me, the biggest thing for Jacoby is moving his contact back out front little bit more. I’ve never seen a guy hit the catcher’s mitt like he did [last year] and to be honest, when his contact point is three or four more inches more out front from where it is right now, he can stay on balls.”

Ellsbury had a knack for reaching base thanks to catcher’s interference a year ago, but rather than seeing it as a clever way to get to first, Cockrell sees it as a sign that he’s letting pitches get too far by him.

“I think he took it to the ‘nth’ degree,” Cockrell said at Yankee Stadium, where members of the Yankees were taking part in the team’s Winter Warm-up. “We’re not looking for power production, but he can be a very productive player.”

They need him to be to contend in 2017.

“We want him to see the ball better,” Cockrell said. “His timing gets a little messed up and balls are beating you deep.”

The two already looked at video from some of Ellsbury’s better seasons — including his highwater mark in Boston in 2011.

GM Brian Cashman said the Yankees talked about a multiyear deal with Dellin Betances, but the two sides will head to arbitration next month.

“We’re not gonna reach a resolution with Dellin,” Cashman said. “The conversations we had with their representatives were if we file, we trial. Based on all of our discussions, it was clear our different perspectives were at such a wide bridge, that we’ll go out and basically have a polite discussion about market value and history of where the marketplace sits versus attempts for a new market creation.”

The Yankees offered $3 million while Betances seeks $5 million. The right-hander is coming off a third straight All-Star season, but struggled down the stretch in the closer’s role and will move back to setting up Aroldis Chapman. Betances is under team control through 2019.