Montero Traded from Yankees

[5toolplayer]

I disagree not only because I am probably the biggest Montero supporter but because of the fact that Pineda has had a few good starts and nothing more. Seems like the AL figured him out in the 2nd half and he got rocked. 5.12 ERA the 2nd half?? Come on, is that really a sure thing? Isn't that what Cashman said? He would only trade Jesus for a Cliff Lee type monster? I had plans on going to ST again this year for a week and I already cancelled the trip. Not that the Yankees will miss a beat but I just am sick of the trading away of the young talent. They gave up on Ian, Clippard, Jackson ( I know Grandy) way too fast and hold on to guys like Joba? I wouldn't be shocked if they moved Banuelos and Betances later in the year for an aging DH/OF. Did the Cardinals have "lights out" pitching in the playoffs this year or did the HIT their way to the title? Good pitching wins every time??? How did that work out for the phillies the past 3 years? You NEED offense and Jeter, Arod, Martin, Swisher, Tex have not showed up when it counts the last few years and it has nothing to do with the rotation.

PS: Sanchez is YEARS away and Romine is a backup, no more, no less. Martin is a good D catcher but minus his April fast start, he was terrible with the stick.

Great, great trade by the Yankees and Cashman. It was a gutsy trade by both teams, giving up quality to get quality, which I like. New York has two top notch catchers on the way, superior by a large margin defensively. Montero, by all reports, did not show the work ethic to become a better catcher, had slow feet and that will not get better over time given the toll catching takes on most guys. Yes, his bat is strong but they did give him 60 plus comfortable, high margin of safety at bats. Safeco is one of the worst, if not the worst, fields for hitters, so his power numbers will drop. It is a park for pitching and defense. His GU stuff is going to drop significantly if you are looking at it as an investment piece too. Seattle got a great hitter that they desperately need, but NY got two hard throwing,(high K to BB ratio) high strike throwing, young pitchers under team control for 5 years, I believe. Good, young pitching is hard to develop and hard to get. The reaction of other AL executives definitely sided with the Yankees on this one and is usually a good barometer.
It is on the surface a good trade for both, to a degree, but it is a huge coup for the Yankees, especially in terms of need.

Ben

[yanks12025]

Scott,

Montero isn't a sure thing either. Right now we need pitching and getting a young star for someone with 60 MLB at-bats is good. You bring up saying the league figured him out, it was his rookie year. You think all pitchers in their first year were all-stars right away. Good chance he'll be an awesome pitcher for many years to come.

[gorilla777]

I would be upset if I owned a ton of his stuff too, though that has zero impact on it being a smart trade for NY.

[5toolplayer]

What makes you say Pineda is going to be an awesome pitcher? Am I missing something here? Are we talking about the same pitcher who was 9-10 and had a 2nd half ERA of 5.12? Please explain to me the difference of him "probably" being a good pitcher and Montero "probably" being a ELITE hitter. I guess you didn't watch the playoffs last year when the Yankees offense looked like a bunch of old men who were late on everything. This trade still makes me sick and it has nothing to do with Jesus's G/U items because I'm still collecting his stuff even if he ends up playing for the Altoona Curve.

[5toolplayer]

New York has two top notch catchers on the way, superior by a large margin defensively. Montero, by all reports, did not show the work ethic to become a better catcher.


Wow really? Sanchez is a KID who had a awful 2011 in A ball plus a attitude problem at the end of the season. Romine is all glove who never even hit in AA. I'll take spotty D at the MLB level if that means .300, 30+ Hrs, 100+ RBIs every year. Hey wait.....isn't that what Jorge provided NY for YEARS?


And please post the facts about Montero not working hard to become a better catcher. He worked his ass off from the minute he reported to Scranton in 2011 and didn't stop working until the yankees were beaten by the Tigers.

[gorilla777]

Pitching is harder to develop and acquire than hitting. And when signing pitchers vs. hitters on the open market, the contract is much more likely to look bad once completed. And I doubt the Yankees trade Betances or any of their other young pitching, but who knows. You cannot have enough good young pitching and that is a great foundation going forward.
You say pitching doesn't equal championships? Please, very few teams bash their way to a title. And those teams that do, probably have good pitching as well, either starting or relieving in the playoffs. A team does not even get to the playoffs without pitching anyway. The Phillies were defeated mostly by the Cardinals pitching, with the clincher being a 1-0 loss to the dominant Carpenter. The late 90s Yankee teams won consistently on rock solid pitching. How did the '88 Dodgers beat superior Mets and A's teams, but thru pitching. Look back over time and good pitching always gives you a better chance to win than good hitting. Why didn't the late 80s Oakland team of hammers win more? Or the Rangers of the last couple years?
You are also assuming Montero is a catcher. Most experts disagree with that being likely over his career. And he is not a very good one right now. So he will likely be more of a DH thru his career. He had 60 at bats layed out with the best chance of him succeeding. Also done in a lineup that scored a ton of runs, with protection. He will get none of that with Seattle. That is not enough at bats to project a career, just like the number of starts for Pineda are not enough to criticize. And the other player from Seattle in the deal, Jose Campos, is a high ceiling pitcher as well.
Since you collect his stuff, you should be upset. I would be too and it has to color your view of the trade. The reaction of rival GMs is likely a better barometer.

[Masimen]

Regardless of whether or not you like the move, which I believe was smart move by the Yankees and it seems those sentiments are shared by most of the so called experts, I have always been a believer that hitching your collecting wagon to a prospect is an extremely risky move from an investment standpoint. Especially if said prospect is a Yankee prospect. You will almost always come out in the negative if you decide to liquidate down the road. Now if that isn't a concern and you are just collecting to collect then no harm I suppose. I still remember what Drew Hensen bats were selling for in 99.

[yanks12025]

What makes you say montero will be this elite 30+ home run player. I'd rather take the chance on a pitcher then a DH that can be replaced easily. Don't get me wrong, I wanted to keep montero. But I can see this as a huge move.

[gorilla777]

Regardless of whether or not you like the move, which I believe was smart move by the Yankees and it seems those sentiments are shared by most of the so called experts, I have always been a believer that hitching your collecting wagon to a prospect is an extremely risky move from an investment standpoint. Especially if said prospect is a Yankee prospect. You will almost always come out in the negative if you decide to liquidate down the road. Now if that isn't a concern and you are just collecting to collect then no harm I suppose. I still remember what Drew Hensen bats were selling for in 99.

Steve, this is a good point