The Yankees upgraded their rotation in a big way tonight by trading for young fireballer Michael Pineda. In return, Seattle receives the Yankees No. 1 prospect Jesus Montero. Pineda entered last season as the No. 16 prospect in all of baseball according to Baseball America. Pineda, 22, threw 171.0 innings last year and pitched to a 3.74 ERA with a 1.10 WHIP and 173 strikeouts. Montero, 22, hit .328 with 4 HR and 12 RBI in 69 PA with the Yankees. The Yankees also received minor league pitching prospect Jose Campos from the Mariners and Seattle received pitching prospect Hector Noesi from the Yankees to complete the deal.
Shortly after this trade was announced, the Yankees also came to terms with free agent pitcher Hiroki Kuroda on a one-year deal, which is believed to be worth $12 million dollars. Kuroda, 37, spent the last four years with the LA Dodgers. Kuroda proved dependable for the Dodgers, throwing over 200 innings and finishing with a 3.07 ERA in 2011. While Kuroda's record was a disappointing 13-16 for a bad Dodgers team last year, look for him to rebound nicely next year and win 15 games in the Bronx.
The Yankee rotation now appears crowded with CC Sabathia, Ivan Nova, Kuroda, Freddy Garcia, Michael Pineda, AJ Burnett and Phil Hughes. One has to wonder if the Yankees will now turn around and trade an arm for a bat or if they will go into spring training with this pitching depth? Could the Yankees move Hughes to the bullpen, where he flourished in 2009 as a set-up man to Rivera? And what is to happen to the beleaguered AJ Burnett? Have the Yankees finally seen enough of his act? I have no problem letting Burnett go but, I urge the Yankees to take a step back and be prudent about trading Phil Hughes, who still has potential and will still only be 26 this June.
I love both of these moves. The Yankees main objective this offseason was to upgrade the rotation. They remained in the shadows for most of the offseason, refusing to overbid for the Japanese phenom Yu Darvish, who the Texas Rangers won the right to negotiate with by doling out a whopping $51.7 million. The Yankees passed on lefty CJ Wilson, who went to the LA Angels for five-years and $77.5 million. Mark Buehrle received a ridiculous four-year, $58 million contract from the suddenly free-spending Miami Marlins and refused to meet Scott Boras's demands for Edwin Jackson after chatter that Hal Steinbrenner and Boras had met to discuss Jackson. The Yankees also kept many of their prized prospects such as Dellin Betances and Manny Banuelos. Those baby bombers were coveted by teams like the A's in a trade for Gio Gonzalez (who ended up being traded to the Nationals) or the Cubs, who are looking to trade Matt Garza. These moves instantly upgrade the rotation and make the Yankees the clear-cut favorite to win the AL East. It was believed that the Red Sox were very interested in Kuroda, with reports the other day claiming that the Red Sox were closing in on a deal.
Losing Montero is a shame since the Yankees were intent on keeping him, but getting a soon to be 23-year-old power pitcher in return makes the loss of Montero palatable. Many in the Yankee organization worried that Montero lacked the defensive skills to be an everyday catcher. Montero was known more for his bat and showed flashes of his hitting ability in 2011 when he was called up. There is a very good possibility that Montero could develop into a terrific catcher someday, but keep in mind that the Yankees also have Austin Romine in the minor leagues, as well as 19-year-old catcher Gary Sanchez. Austine Romine is a very good defensive catcher and may even challenge incumbent Francisco Cervelli to be Russell Martin's understudy in 2012.
With the Yankees aging stars like Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter getting older, the Yankees could not afford to carry Montero as a full-time DH. Look for the Yankees to sign a left-handed bat such as Carlos Pena, former Yankee Johnny Damon or Yankee World Series MVP Hideki Matsui to compliment Andruw Jones off the bench or at DH. Pineda stands at 6'7", 260 lbs. and has top of the rotation stuff. Pineda went 9-10 last year but his fastball sits at 97 mph with the occasional triple digit heat and secondary pitches that are knee-buckling. Look for Pineda to be a force in the Yankee rotation for years to come.
No comments:
Post a Comment