Seattle Mariners: Why Jesus Montero May Have Been the Best Move This Offseason

On MLB Network's show, Hot Stove, former major leaguers Billy Ripken and Larry Bowa were having a discussion regarding newly acquired Yankees pitcher Michael Pineda.

Both agreed that Pineda's win total from his rookie season would improve, perhaps double with the New York Yankees this coming season. In Seattle last year, Pineda pitched behind an offense ranked dead last in the majors in batting average, home runs, runs, hits and RBI.

The topic then briefly turned over to catcher Jesus Montero, the centerpiece in the blockbuster deal with Pineda, where both Bowa and Ripken agreed that they wouldn't have traded an up-and-coming ace like Pineda for Montero.

Their argument was that Pineda was a rare type of pitcher. The 6'7", hard-throwing right-hander, they believed, offered more upside than Montero, who is considered by many to be an average catcher but a solid hitter.

Jesus Montero made his pro debut last season, and in just 61 at-bats he hit .324 with four home runs and 12 RBI. Fellow rookie Michael Pineda, on the other hand, got off to a hot start in the first half of the season, going 7-4 with a 2.64 ERA and a roster spot in the All-Star game. In the second half of the season, however, Pineda fell off the map, finishing just 2-5 with an ERA of 5.12, and immediately, questions arose about his durability.

Baseball is loaded with pitchers. However, in the league today, there are only a handful of solid, all-around offensive-minded catchers. The Twins' Joe Mauer, the Giants' Buster Posey and Braves catcher Brian McCann quickly come to mind.

Montero may someday be in the same category as those three. At just 17 years old, Jesus Montero signed a $2 million deal with the New York Yankees. Scouts believed that Montero is the complete package. Good with the bat, great arm and a solid all-around baseball player.

For the next five seasons, Montero spent time in the Yankees' farm system, always being touted by Baseball America as one of the best prospects in all of Minor League Baseball and the heir apparent to Jorge Posada.

It's not every day that a team can land a highly regarded prospect like Montero, who was originally part of a trade back in 2010 to Seattle as part of the Cliff Lee deal. The chance to land Montero once and for all was too good to pass up, and this time around, Seattle got their man.

Franchise catchers are few and far between, and if baseball history shows us anything, it's that you need a good catcher.

In the end, if Montero pans out the way Yankee scouts hoped he would when they signed him at 17 years old, then Seattle might have gotten a steal of a trade, even if a couple of former major leaguers still question the deal.