New York Yankees Capitalize on Mariners' Desperation in Michael Pineda Trade

The New York Yankees and Seattle Mariners swapped a pair of potential superstars in a deal late Friday night that sent Jesus Montero and Hector Noesi to the Mariners with Michael Pineda and Jose Campos back to New York, according to Greg Johns of MLB.com. 

The Yankees have had a desperate need for someone to plug into their rotation after CC Sabathia since the beginning of last season. They already made one deal early on Friday, signing Huroki Kuroda to a one-year deal. 

Pineda was an excellent way to cap off the day for Brian Cashman. Pineda is just 22 years old, made the All-Star team in his rookie season and has more upside than any other pitcher in the Yankees' farm system. 

He finished the 2011 season with a 9-10 record, 3.74 ERA and 173 strikeouts in 171 innings. He did fade down the stretch, posting a 5.12 ERA after the break, but that can be attributed to the fact that he worked more innings last year than any other year in his career. 

In fact, the 171 innings were just 15 fewer than he threw in all of 2009 and 2010 combined. He is an ace in the making if he can continue to develop his changeup. 

The Mariners, meanwhile, are giving up a potential No. 1 starter in exchange for one of the best hitting prospects in the game.

Montero has been one of the most talked about prospects for the last three years, and he finally got a chance to showcase his skills in New York late last season. Needless to say, he did not disappoint. He hit .328/.406/.590 in 69 plate appearances with the Yankees. 

Obviously, that is a small sample size, but in his peak, it would not be a surprise to see Montero posting those numbers over the course of an entire season. 

His value is strictly tied to his bat, because he can't play catcher. The Mariners could try him at first, or just use him to give Justin Smoak a day off. 

Considering how anemic the Mariners have been on offense the last two years—they have finished 30th in runs, average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage during that time—Montero represents an immediate upgrade. 

Plug Montero alongside Smoak, Dustin Ackley, Ichiro and (eventually) Nick Franklin, and the Mariners have the makings of at least a respectable offense. They have tremendous pitching depth in the minors, which no doubt made trading Pineda easier. 

Noesi is a reliever long term, and the Yankees finally put him in that role last season. It will be interesting to see how the Mariners try to use him. 

Campos is an interesting addition to the Yankees farm system. He is just 19 years old and has a good fastball that sits in the low 90s but can hit 96-97. His slider is his best off-speed pitch, and he has had success missing bats with it. He is developing a curveball that has the potential to be a plus pitch when he gets a better feel for it.

He has the potential to be a good mid-rotation starter if he can clean up some issues in his mechanics, but worst-case scenario he is in the back end of a bullpen. 

Both the Yankees and Mariners had significant holes that they had to fill, and this trade goes a long way to fixing their problems. I would give New York a slight edge because Campos has more upside than Noesi, but Montero is going to help Seattle's offense a lot for the next six years. 

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