New York Yankees Trade Jesus Montero to Mariners for Michael Pineda

Finally. The Yankees have finally pulled the trigger on a deal for a starting pitcher.

According to Jon Heyman of CBSSports and WFAN (and since confirmed by Dan Martin and the New York Post), the Yankees are sending catcher Jesus Montero and Hector Noesi to the Seattle Mariners in exchange for right-handed starter Michael Pineda and Jose Campos.

Pineda was 9-10 in his rookie season with Seattle last season, starting in 28 games with a 3.74 ERA and striking out 173 batters.

The Yankees are getting a 22-year-old pitcher they can easily put in as the No. 2 or 3 starter in the rotation behind CC Sabathia and Ivan Nova.

Pineda showed a lot of signs of dominance in his rookie season pitching with Felix Hernandez, and now, he'll get a chance to pitch on an even bigger stage in 2012.

Montero's name was constantly brought up in trade discussions, but the Yankees never pulled the trigger, as teams always asked for too much in return.

In July of 2010, the Yankees and Mariners nearly pulled off a deal sending Cliff Lee to the Mariners for Montero and other prospects.

But Brian Cashman and Seattle GM Jack Zduriencik couldn't agree on the specific prospects the Mariners were getting alongside Lee and the deal got called off, with Lee eventually sent to the Texas Rangers for a lower-level package.

We always heard the Yankees' interest in Felix Hernandez, but Zduriencik was adamant about holding on to his ace.

Getting the next-best pitcher on the major league level, however, must have intrigued Cashman enough to pull the trigger and send Seattle the Yankees' best-hitting prospect.

The Yankees were willing to part with Montero because they never had an actual position and place for him on the field, and with guys like Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez in need of the designated hitter spot, Montero became expendable.

Throw in the fact that the Yankees also have Austin Romine and Gary Sanchez as developing catchers in the minor league system, and it made Montero all the more expendable.

The same goes for Noesi, who got his chance with the Yankees and showed signs of promise in 2011. Now, in Seattle, Noesi will likely get a chance to start in 2012.

The move likely takes the Yankees out of the running for signing Roy Oswalt, Edwin Jackson and Hiroki Kuroda, but in the end, they got a young pitcher who adds depth and of dominance to the Yankees rotation in 2012.