Jesus Montero Traded for Michael Pineda: 11 Reasons the Yankees Made a Mistake

In a move to address their pitching situation, the New York Yankees shipped off their top prospect, Jesus Montero, in return for Michael Pineda of the Seattle Mariners.

On the surface, this looks like the deal the Yanks needed. But taking a closer look, it doesn't appear so hot after all.

Here are 11 reasons why the Bombers made a huge mistake.

New York Factor

Before any player comes to play for the Yankees or Mets, or any sports team for that matter, his ability to handle New York must be evaluated.

So, here comes Michael Pineda, a 22-year-old with only one year of Major League Baseball service under his belt, about to enter the largest sports market in the United States of America.

More media, more attention, more pressure for Pineda to handle. It will be the likes of which he's never seen before, and there is always a chance he won't be able to handle it, as history has proven with many players.

One thing's for sure: It won't be easy for the second-year starter.

No Playoff Experience

Michael Pineda does have a big upside at only 22, but what he doesn't possess is experience pitching in the playoffs.

Even if he lights the Bronx on fire with stellar regular-season pitching, it doesn't mean he'll be a big postseason pitcher for the Yanks. And we all know, if you can't make it in the playoffs, you can't make it in New York.

There's just no telling what you're going to get from such a young starter in a tight, pressure-packed game during the playoffs.

Bad Numbers Against Boston and Toronto

While Michael Pineda's numbers are good against the lighter-hitting teams in the AL East—Tampa Bay Rays and Baltimore Orioles—his numbers against the Toronto Blue Jays and Boston Red Sox are bad.

Versus the Red Sox: 0-1, 14.54 ERA in one start.

Versus the Blue Jays: 1-0, 5.30 ERA in three starts.

The Yanks have enough guys who pitch poorly against Boston; let's hope that bad start against Boston isn't a sign of things to come. If it is, that list of poor pitching against the Sox just got longer.

Moving from Pitcher's Park to Hitter's Park

A 3.74 ERA might be impressive coming from a rookie who pitched his first season in Yankee Stadium, but Michael Pineda doesn't enjoy the same distinction as Ivan Nova.

Instead, Pineda was at Safeco Field in Seattle, which has become well known as a pitcher's park.

Yankee Stadium is the exact opposite and is unforgiving to pitchers who don't keep the ball down. What might have been a routine play in Seattle is now a home run threat in the Bronx.

Pineda will have to progress much more if he wants to keep a respectable ERA during his time in pinstripes.

Here's how Pineda's pitching differed at home versus away in 2011:

Home: 5-4, 2.92 ERA in 12 starts (25 ER).

Away: 4-6, 4.40 ERA in 16 starts (46 ER).

Pitching Approach

By no means is Michael Pineda a ground-ball pitcher, and that could spell trouble for the young right-hander.

In Yankee Stadium, it's vital you keep the ball down to have success. Pineda is a power pitcher who will challenge hitters and try to strike them out.

He might need to tweak that approach, pitching in a small ballpark like the one in the Bronx. Not to mention, he'll be facing better offensive teams more often in the AL East and can't expect to constantly challenge great hitters and get away with it.

Jesus Montero

By all accounts, Jesus Montero is considered by many to be a sure-fire superstar, and that isn't just Yankees people saying that.

So is it worth trading a prospect of Montero's caliber to take a chance on a starter who may or may not work out? I personally wouldn't take that chance and would've waited for a more proven commodity in return.

Montero could pan out to be one of the best hitters in baseball one day, and if Michael Pineda doesn't work out, the Bombers won't be able to escape the Jay Buhner-Ken Phelps comparison.

No Offensive Insurance

Building off the last slide, Jesus Montero's role on this team wasn't just a developmental one. He was due to be the Yanks' full-time DH as well as a backup option at catcher.

With all the injuries that Alex Rodriguez has suffered as he's gotten older, Montero's bat could've been instrumental in the Bombers' success if Rodriguez misses time once again.

Curtis Granderson might have had a great season last year, but there's nothing in his history that tells us he's capable of doing it again. He certainly won't be seeing as many pitches on the inner half as he did in 2011.

If both of these guys don't pan out in 2012, Montero's absence in the lineup could loom large.

Hiroki Kuroda

What puzzles me most about this trade was that the Yankees already had Hiroki Kuroda locked up with a one-year deal.

Clearly, the Yanks needed a starting pitcher, but two? Seems like overkill to me, and it was unnecessary to trade away a top prospect just to pad the rotation further.

Kuroda would have been more than enough for the Yanks to improve their rotation, giving them a strong one-two-three punch. It would've bought Brian Cashman time to find a more proven starter during the season and at the trade deadline.

And Kuroda has something Michael Pineda is lacking: experience, especially in a big market.

Three's Company

With A.J. Burnett, Freddy Garcia and Phil Hughes still on the team, the Yanks have seven starters in total and only five slots in their rotation to put them.

I would imagine that Burnett is on his way out, as it's doubtful New York would move him to the 'pen. I also arrive at that conclusion because I don't think the Yankees have given up on Phil Hughes yet, and both, whether it's because of money or promise, aren't likely to lose out to Garcia to start the season.

And don't forget Dellin Betances and Manny Banuelos are on their way to the majors at some point this season or next. It's going to be one crowded bullpen!

Yankees fans will be hoping this over-abundance of starters won't affect the progression of their young starters in the system.

Matt Cain and Cole Hamels

2013 looked to be quite the promising free-agent market for starting pitching.

It was set to be headlined by Matt Cain of the San Francisco Giants and Cole Hamels of the Philadelphia Phillies.

Sure, it's a year away, but Hiroki Kuroda was the Band-Aid the Yanks needed to get to that point. Cain and Hamels have both proven to be dominant in their own right and would have been a safe, but expensive bet for the Bombers to make.

Say all you want about money, both are more proven commodities than what New York has now.

97 Wins in 2011

How quickly we've all forgotten that this rotation helped the Bombers win 97 games last season. Granted, that was with the help of a lot of offense, but even a slight improvement in pitching performance from their starters would mean more wins in 2012.

Hiroki Kuroda would have more than sufficiently covered the wins lost with the departure of Bartolo Colon, and a healthy Phil Hughes would certainly surpass his five-win total from 2011.

As bad as Burnett was, he still won 11 games, and if he just shows up a few more times in 2012, he can win 15.

Not exactly unrealistic expectations from these starters, and if all went to plan, that would put the Yanks over the 100-win mark without Michael Pineda and with Jesus Montero.