WHY I HAVE MIXED EMOTIONS REGARDING MONTERO FOR PINEDA

All off-season long fans were craving for the much needed number two starter. Well, you guys got it, and that's Michael Pineda, who was part of a four player trade with the Seattle Mariners on Friday. Pineda is easily a number two starter in my mind, but that's not what this piece is about, this is about my reaction to the trade. And folks, I've got mixed emotions about it.

When I was on my laptop I was searching through Twitter, looking for the latest MLB News. I try to follow all the top MLB writers like Jon Heyman, Buster Olney, Ken Rosenthal, Joel Sherman, etc, but this tweet HERE got me worried. I was in denial at first. Then Heyman tweeted "THIS".

My first reaction: "OH MY GOD CASHMAN, WHY WOULD YOU TRADE MONTERO?!?!?!?" But really, if you take a deep breath and look at the entire trade in context, I think you can make a legit case for both sides on why it's a good move or why it's a not so good move. Let's take a look...

Why it's a good move:

1. Like I began the post, the Yankees get a number two starter. There's no doubt Pineda is a number two starter, and I'm willing to write a full post on why he's a number two starter, but that's for another day. Last season, as a 22 year old rookie, Pineda went 8-5 with a 2.58 ERA while striking out 106 and walking just 34 in 108 innings, which spans 108 innings through 17 first half starts. And with his efforts, he earned a trip to the All Star game. Unfortunately, he finished the season going 1-5 with a 5.71 ERA in 11 second half starts, spanning 63 innings. But fear not, the guy was a rookie. It's basically inevitable that he'd hit a wall. With that said, this guy has a ton of potential, as he could very well become a second ace for the Yankees, and we saw a huge glimpse of that in the first half of last season with the Mariners.(In Photo: Jose Campos)
2. Not very many people will bring this up, but the second guy the Yankees acquired--19 year old starter Jose Campos--is a young starter with high potential and will be right there with Manny Banuelos and Dellin Betances as the best pitching prospects in the system, especially when he gets more seasoning down on the farm this year. Like with Pineda, I'd love to write a post why Campos is a stud in the making, but again, that's for another day. Just a quick scouting report, he's a power arm with a curveball and a change-up, while going 5-5 with a 2.32 ERA in 14 starts last year for the M's single-A affiliate.

3. You add it all up, (including the Kuroda signing) the Yankees have easily at least the third best starting rotation in the American League (behind Los Angeles and Tampa Bay) with CC Sabathia, Michael Pineda, Ivan Nova, Hiroki Kuroda, and one of Freddy Garcia, AJ Burnett, and Phil Hughes. But it's not who has the best rotation, it's about who has the best TEAM, and I believe the Yankees have the best TEAM in the American League.....At least on paper, and we all know, the paper guarantees nothing.

Why it's not such a good move:

1. The Yankees have to give up Jesus Montero, plain and simple. I love Jesus Montero, and I believe he can be the next Miguel Cabrera or Carlos Delgado. He has the ability to hit 30+ homers a year, although his skills behind the plate are suspect to say the least. As a Mariner I expect him to DH and maybe get some time at first base. Who knows, he's not ours anymore, so the M's can do what they want with him.

2. Hector Noesi was also apart of the deal. I'm certainly a fan of Noesi, and I thought he'd be a key piece in the Yankees puzzle in 2012, although before the trade it'd be tough to find a spot for him on the team, as Brian Cashman said Noesi wouldn't be a reliever (Read HERE). He now goes to Seattle, where he should thrive in a bigger ballpark that is SafeCo field. I viewed Noesi as a backend starter, but I think as a Mariner he could elevate to mid-rotation status. My opinion, of course.

So, you mesh the positives with the negatives, and the final verdict.....It's a wash. But if you held a theoretical gun to my head I probably wouldn't make the trade. Both Montero and Pineda have superstar ability, while Campos has a higher ceiling in terms of talent than Noesi. But the thing is, Campos is still in the lower levels of the minors (my guess he starts in Low-A Charleston), while Noesi is major league ready and can step into the Mariners' rotation right away. This is certainly one of the more interesting trades not just for the Yankees--but in all of baseball--in recent memory. Is it April yet?




--Jesse Schindler, BYB Staff Writer



Please comment, we have DISQUS, it's easier than ever. Let me know what you think and follow me on Twitter @BleednYankeeBlu and join the group Bleeding Yankee Blue on Facebook, just type it in.