The Asssassin Strikes Again
All winter we have waited, waited for Brian Cashman to make a move to improve the Yankees. Tonight he struck with authority. Not only did he dramatically remake the roster, he did it intelligently. Let's start with the big trade- Montero and Noesi to Seattle for Pineda and Campos.
There's an old baseball adage, never trade a pitcher for a hitter. I agree with that, with one important exception. Trade the hitter when you don't have a position for him and the Yankees clearly didn't with Montero. If you were one of the ones who believed Montero could catch in the bigs, tonight is a bad night for you because the Yankees just potentially gave up one of the best offensive catchers ever. But, if you are like me and countless others who doubted Montero's abilities behind the plate, you have to like this trade.
Let's go through the obvious objections Yankees' fans will have. Start with- would you rather have A-Rod or Montero? Of course, I would prefer Montero at this point, but there is no way you could get rid of A-Rod, period. Any trade scenario you can dream up that includes A-Rod is a fantasy. Move onto- would you rather have Teixeira or Montero? Again, I prefer Montero, but like A-Rod, how do you trade Teixeira? At some point, even the biggest Montero supporter has to realize that he is a man without a position on the Yankees. His catching is suspect, first is blocked and A-Rod is going to have to DH a lot in the very near future. We can bitch and moan about that being the case, but remember, without A-Rod and Teixeira, you probably don't have a 2009 championship. And, please remember how you feel about those two now the next time you want the Yankees to sign a free agent to a big deal. Sooner or later those deals turn sour. (To be fair, I think Teixeira will be just fine for awhile longer. A-Rod's health worries me greatly.) So, what do you do with Montero in that case? You turn him into a something you need and the Yankees needed pitching.
Enter MIchael Pineda, a 6' 7" flamethrower who threw 171 innings in the bigs last year and posted a 3.74 ERA (3.42 FIP). This guy is what you hope Betances turns into and he is under team control until 2017. He's not Felix Hernandez, but this guy is plenty good and will have the protection of Sabathia in front of him. He may not be the #2 guy immediately but he should grow into the role. If you are one of the guys (like me) hoping the Yankees develop a Betances or Banuelos for the rotation, you cannot dislike this move.
As much as I like the primary part of the trade, the secondary part is where I think the Yankees got a steal. I like Hector Noesi, but I doubt his upside is much more than 5th starter/long reliever. He's 25 and the Yankees have plenty of other arms (Phelps, Warren, etc.) who project to Noesi's level. In exchange for him they get a huge prospect, Jose Campos. Campos is a long way from the bigs, but he has already impressed people with his performance and his stuff. We probably won't know until 2014 or so, but Campos looks like he will be a big piece of the staff in the future.
After that big meal the Yankees gave us all a nice dessert with the addition of Hiroki Kuroda. Kuroda isn't as good as his 3.07 ERA last year indicates, but he is a 200-inning pitcher who should produce an ERA around 4 in the AL. More importantly, with Sabathia, Pineda and Kuroda, the Yankees can trade AJ and still have Nova, Hughes and Garcia around to fill out the rotation.
And I would bet almost anything the Yankees aren't done. They have suddenly created a hole in the lineup at DH and there are plenty of bats that could fill that void on the market and very few internal ones. We can dream of a one-year flier on Prince, but I wouldn't be surprised to see Carlos Pena or Johnny Damon back in pinstripes in the near future.
For now, enjoy a great night for the Yankees.
Comments
seems like very good deals
Posted by: blmeanie![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://yankeesredsox.com/nav-commenters.gif)
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January 14, 2012 09:25 AM
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Peter, we're now looking at at a starting rotation of 7 with ManBan, Betances and a few other additonal MiLB names to think about as possibly being ready at some point during 2012. When you add in Joba returning around August, it's clear that more moves are coming.
:)
Posted by: Mitchell![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://yankeesredsox.com/nav-commenters.gif)
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January 14, 2012 03:41 PM
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Mitchell
Two wishes for those moves.
1- AJ goes somewhere else. He will be especially "fun" around the clubhouse if he isn't in the rotation.
2- The Yankees don't just sign Chavez and consider their DH spot filled. The "H" stands for hitter and i am not sure Chavez can do that anymore.
Posted by: Peter![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://yankeesredsox.com/nav-commenters.gif)
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January 15, 2012 03:25 PM
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Peter,
Yep, you and I are having a "vigorous agreement" about AJ. The 2x4 therapy doesn't seem to be working now nor will it ever be effective. Were I the owners, and we've all been saying this for a while, I would bundle AJ with a big pile of cash and trade him for some young fielding prospects who will be ready in 2013.
And about the DH? Yep, I don't think Chavez is much more than a brittle glove at this point. I suspect we're going to hear the standard theme of having a rotating DH to rest the older players somewhat regularly and the younger ones less frequently. Having said that, you know as well as I do that Cashman will try to pickup a Pena or someone similar on a one year deal. I hear a bunch of names being mentioned and, of course, I have zero idea what's going to happen. Who knows, maybe Thames will make another appearance on a short dollars contract or they will let Jorge Vazquez come to the Bronx - that kid crushes it, when he can make the occasional contact. Whoever it is, they won't be expensive or long term (although I do think it would be fun to see what Papi looks like in pinstripes).
On another note - it's good to be a NY sports fan right now. Pineda, Kuroda, and Hakeem Nicks (LOL).
Posted by: Mitchell![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://yankeesredsox.com/nav-commenters.gif)
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January 15, 2012 09:23 PM
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Mitchell
First and foremost- GO BLUE! Awesome, awesome night tonight. And I love that the 49'ers are next.
I think they sign someone. Chavez is not a hitter and Vazquez struck out 166 times at AAA ball! Maybe Damon, maybe Pena, I hope it isn't Matsui.
Posted by: Peter![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://yankeesredsox.com/nav-commenters.gif)
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January 15, 2012 10:18 PM
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Clearly, A.J. hasn't worked out, but I don't see anyone picking him up. I think the Yanks are stuck with him in the bullpen. Maybe he can just let the ball fly for one or two innings and be the most expensive middle reliever in baseball. It worked for Phil Hughes.
Posted by: Corey | January 16, 2012 10:36 AM |
Corey
I think the Yankees would have to pay about $20 million to the team they trade him to or take back a bad contract in return.
If he would be agreeable to the bullpen I would be interested in seeing him try it. As you said, he could let it fly. I just worry about his fragile psyche and wonder if the adjustment would be simply too hard for him to make?
Posted by: Peter![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://yankeesredsox.com/nav-commenters.gif)
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January 16, 2012 12:42 PM
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Peter, I always get worried when I get the team I wanted for the next game in the playoffs, in this case SF. I'm probably more worried now than I was facing GB. That said NO was a terrible matchup for us. As for the Yanks, we're dealing from a massive position of strength (excess starting pitching) to address where there is plenty, there are tons of DH's around. What would be interesting is if we went out and got a 3rd baseman to make Arod a permanent DH. Or a shortstop to make Jeter a 3rd basemen, but its all too radical for me. Just enjoying sports at the moment. A dream year for me actually as I'm a huge English soccer fan as well (lived there for 5yrs) and my crappy forever team is having its best season in 50yrs! Glory glory!
Posted by: tim | January 17, 2012 04:41 AM |
Guys? I worry every time AJ throws a pitch, first inning or sixth. It also doesn't seem like fatigue or trying to pace himself as a starter is the issue. He just throws cookies - without warning.
Were I Cashman, I would simply try to unload him with cash, lots of cash - and forget taking a problem back in exchange.
Posted by: Mitchell![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://yankeesredsox.com/nav-commenters.gif)
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January 17, 2012 08:57 AM
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Tim
I agree. As good as they are playing right now, New Orleans on the turf would have been a terrible matchup. (And we saw how bad about a month ago.)
As for your DH idea, I like the third base move, but I don't see any FA's that I really like for that. (Betemit part 2?)
It will be interesting to see how quickly Dante Bichette Jr. develops because he is probably the 3rd baseman of the future.
Posted by: Peter![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://yankeesredsox.com/nav-commenters.gif)
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January 17, 2012 09:35 AM
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Mitchell
I think the move will have to be AJ for a bag of balls, with the Yankees paying a big chunk of his salary.
But, a move like that would free up some payroll flexibility to sign a DH.
Posted by: Peter![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://yankeesredsox.com/nav-commenters.gif)
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January 17, 2012 09:38 AM
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