Jesus Montero, the Yankees number one prospect is now a Mariner. Michael Pineda is now a Yankee. Brian Cashman pulled off one of the gutsiest trades of his tenure as Yankee GM by trading Jesus Montero and Hector Noesi for Michael Pineda and Jose Campos. Pineda is the type of pitcher the Yankees have been looking for, a power pitcher with ace-like stuff to slide in behind C.C. Sabathia in the rotation. Pineda made the All-Star team last season but his numbers took a slide last season, pitching to a 4.74 ERA in his last 17 starts. Against AL East opponents last season, Pineda posted a 4.73 ERA in 9 starrts. He did poorly against the Yankees and Red Sox but was pretty good against the Rays. He gave up almost a homer per nine innings (.95 hr/9) but can miss a lot of bats, striking out almost 25% of the batters he faced. He is, however, a fly ball pitcher, obtaining only a ground ball rate just under 37%. Pineda's a fastball pitcher but also features a pretty good slider and drops an occasional change up. He has the makings of an ace. He will only be 23 next season and managed to throw a career high 171 innings last season.
Jose Campos is a young fire-baller. He can dial it up to 97 MPH and regularly sits around 93-94 MPH. He's 19 years old so he has plenty of time to develop his other pitches which he needs to do. He struck out 85 in 81.1 innings and has shown excellent command with his fastball. It's his other pitches that betray him from time to time and he sometimes struggles to find the plate with his other pitches, a change up and a slider/curve. Campos was the Mariners 5th best prospect and should move into the top ten in the Yankees system.
Montero is going to be missed. He was touted as a once-in-a-generation bat and frequently compared to Miguel Cabrera and Mike Piazza. Now, if you've read my previous posts you would have read about former Yankee prospects that drew hefty comparisons only to fall short. Ruben Rivera, Drew Henson, Nick Johnson, J.T. Snow, Hensley Meulens, the list goes on and on. Montero might turn out to be an amazing hitter, which I think he will, but he had no position with the Yankees. The Yankees didn't view him long term as a catcher and slated him in as the DH. The Yankees don't need a 23 year old DH. They need the DH slot to rest Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter, Mark Teixeira, and all of the other aging Yankees that will need a spell every now and then from the field. The Yankees have Austin Romine, Gary Sanchez, who many scouts think will be better all around than Montero, and J.R. Murphy in their top fifteen prospect lists and all are catchers so losing Montero might hurt a little but it shouldn't hurt long-term. I'll be honest, it hurts to lose Montero. I keep remembering a young prospect the Yankees had that was traded for 3 pitching prospects back in 1998. That prospects name was Mike Lowell. He was traded for Ed Yarnall, considered the best lefty pitching prospect in the game by Baseball Prospectus, Todd Noel, and Mark Johnson. None of those three pitchers made an impact for the Yankees or any other MLB team. However, it is hard to pass on a live young arm like Pineda, even if you are giving up a Montero.
Also going to Seattle is Hector Noesi. Noesi should slide into the Mariners rotation. Noesi was being considered for the 5th spot in the Yankee rotation and there were some in the Yankee organization that believed Noesi could develop into a 3rd or 4th starter. Those are easier to find than aces and #2's which is what Pineda and Campos project to. It is impossible to project what a ballplayer will be when his career is over. Brien Taylor was supposed to make New York see what might have been had Dwight Gooden never done drugs. Ruben Rivera was supposed to make Yankee fans reminisce about Mickey Mantle, or even forget about Mantle altogether. Mariano Rivera was only signed to get Ruben, his cousin, to sign a contract with them. The Yankees never thought Rivera would amount to anything more than organizational filler. My point is, highly touted prospects flame out while guys we never expected to succeed often become franchise cornerstones. Look how many teams passed over Robinson Cano at one time. The Rangers chose Joaquin Arias instead of Cano in the A-Rod trade. The Diamondbacks passed on Cano for Randy Johnson. You just never know.
It's going to take some time for the Yankees to get used to not having Montero to look forward to. He was hyped up beyond all reason. However, it is easier to find offense than it is good pitching. Pineda is a good pitcher. Pineda also gives the Yankees 5 years of team-controlled pitching which means, if he develops into what he can be, the Yankees won't have to go out and spend big on a free agent pitcher down the road. It also gives the Yankees payroll flexibility which is important above all else as the Yankees seek to get under the $189 million luxury tax limit in 2014.
After getting Pineda, Cashman swooped in and signed Hiroki Kuroda to a one-year deal for $10 million pending a physical. Cashman has liked Kuroda and inquired about him at the deadline last year but Kuroda didn't want to waive his no-trade clause. Now, Kuroda looks like he was willing to become a Yankee. Getting Kuroda for $10 million on a one year deal is a solid move by Cashman. The luxury tax will up the cost to the Yankees to about $13 million, or around the asking price for Kuroda originally at the onset of free agency. Not bad at all for the Yankees.
Moving forward, the Yankees went from searching for pitching to having a surplus of it. Pineda slides into the rotation behind Sabathia, Kuroda, and Nova. Freddy Garcia, A.J. Burnett, Phil Hughes, Adam Warren, and David Phelps will compete for the last two spots in the rotation. It is very possible that the Yankees make another trade, either before, during, or after Spring Training. If Phil Hughes reverts to the guy who made the All-Star team then then Yankees are going to have a very formidable, very young rotation. If not, he might be pushed to the bullpen or end up as part of a trade to fill a hole.
What is most amazing about this big trade is that the Yankees held onto Manny Banuelos and Dellin Betances, their two best pitching prospects. Banuelos and Betances might team with Pineda, Sabathia, and Hughes or Nova to form one of baseball's best rotations down the road. The fact is, the Yankees have a lot of very good young pitching, the hardest commodity to acquire in the game. Even if this trade doesn't work out because Pineda doesn't live up to expectations this is a trade you have to make every time. Kudos to Cashman for having the guts to make this trade and even more kudos for getting Kuroda at a decent price.
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