It’s Official: Montero & Noesi for Pineda & Campos is a done deal

January 23, 2012 by Mike Axisa 48 Comments

Ten days after we learned that an agreement was in place, the trade is finally official. The Yankees announced this afternoon that they’ve acquired Michael Pineda and Jose Campos from the Mariners for Jesus Montero and Hector Noesi after all four players passed their physicals. During the conference call, Brian Cashman said Montero “may very well be the best player I’ve traded,” while Pineda said “I never thought I would become a New York Yankee so early into my career.” It’s pretty funny that he assumed it was an inevitability.

The Yankees now have an open spot on the 40-man roster, but that will be filled rather quickly. We’re still waiting on the Hiroki Kuroda signing to be finalized, but last we heard he was still in Japan enjoying the offseason. His physical might not happen for a while. Andruw Jones‘ new contract still isn’t official yet either. Make sure you check out our Depth Chart to see where the team’s roster stands. So long Jesus and Hector, and welcome to the Boogie Down, Michael and Jose.

King George

Finally! Welcome aboard, Michael.
Gonzo

Anyone think Noesi is getting too much post-trade hype action right now?

I remember some saying that Kenny Williams might have known something about Jeff Marquez and that he would surprise after the Swish trade. I know they are in different boats. I am just saying the Noesi train is getting a little too full.
- CMP
  
  Yep.
  
  I find it comical how he went from a back of the rotation starter/middle reliever to a number 3 starter and then to someone just about as good as Pineda as soon as he left the Yankees.
  - Bo Knows
    
    Well CMP everyone knows that Yankee prospects are all overrated…until they are no longer yankees then they become the greatest thing EVAH!
    
    It’s basically the reverse Red Sox belief system where the Sox prospects are all Aces and future MVP’s until they get traded and become pumpkins
    - casey kelly
      
      How dare you sir, that is a myth.
  - Matt DiBari
    
    Isn’t that the story of the Yankees though? They make a move and people want to see how they screwed it up.
    
    A few years back Buster Olney did an article on Yankee free agent signings that wound up costing them a draft pick, pointing out how the eventual pick wound up better than the signing.
    
    When he put Mike Mussina on that list because the Yankees pick would have yielded Mike Fontenot, I was gobsmacked.
    - Sarah
      
      Boy, if only the Yankees had Mike Fontenot. They definitely would have #28 by now!
    - CMP
      
      How absurd.
      
      Mussina was worth 5.3 WAR in his final season in 2008. Fontenot has been worth 5.2 WAR in his entire 5 year career combined.
      - Matt DiBari
        
        It was at the height of “The Cajun Connection” of whatever silly name the media gave Fontenot and Theriot and we were supposed to be so excited for them because they finally got to play together or some nonsense.
  - Robinson Tilapia
    
    Hector Noesi has the potential to be a solid MLB starter, no matter what uniform he’s wearing.
- CMP
  
  By the time the season rolls around, the 3 favorites for AL Cy Young are probably going to be Verlander, King Felix and Noesi.
  - RetroRob
    
    Right, but in reverse order.
Matt DiBari

Hooray!
Bo Knows

“I never thought I would become a New York Yankee so early into my career.”

With this line, Pineda has officially become my favorite non-CC starting pitcher.
- boogie down
  
  Amen, man.
RobertGKramer@AOL.Com

Quite possibly Noesi at Safeco will put up better numbers than Pineda at Yankees Stadium in 2012….except strike outs!
- KeithK
  
  Maybe. Maybe not. But since Noesi probably will start for the M’s this year we’ll get to see how good he is and whether he’s being over-rated right now.
- RetroRob
  
  It totally shock me if Noesi’s ERA was lower, but it also wouldn’t mean anything. That’s why FIP, park factors, etc. exist so we can better judge a pitcher. Noesi is not anywhere near Pineda’s talent level.
  - RetroRob
    
    It totally *wouldn’t* shock me…
    - Cris Pengiucci
      
      I think that’s the point. People will look at the ERAs and assume, since Noesi puts up better numbers (if he actually does) that he’s the better pitcher and it wasn’t a trade the Yankees should have made. If you look at the advanced stats, I’d be surprised if Pineda doesn’t look better.
mh18

The Yankees are going to regret trading Montero for Pineda.
- BigDavey88
  
  Why?
  - mh18
    
    Flyball pitcher in the AL East is a recipe for disaster. And call it a hunch, but I think he’s going to have some sort of elbow/shoulder within the next year or two. Add on to the fact that Cashman is not the best person to evaluate pitching talent, minus the Mussina and CC signings.
    
    This may be one of the dumbest trades he’s ever done.
    - Robinson Tilapia
      
      And maybe we’ll all be here, three years from now, saying “doggumit, that mh18, he was right! Jesus Montero is MVP, and Michael Pi-whatever, he’s out of baseball!” Then what? We’ll move on to whatever the next debate is at the time.
      - mh18
        
        I hope I’m completely wrong and Pineda goes on to dominate hitters. I’d rather they have traded Montero for a young, proven pitcher rather than one coming off a mediocre rookie season.
        
        Steve (different one)
        
        Pineda did not have a mediocre rookie season. I have my reservations about he trade, but that is insane.
        
        RetroRob
        
        Like who?
        
        http://mlbdailydose.com vinny q
        
        How did Pineda have a mediocre rookie season? The guy’s WHiP and k/IP were awesome. His stats were consistent With the numbers he put up in minors too
    - RkyMtnYank
      
      Call it a hunch but I think Montero will have leg/knee issues in the next year or two. Given Cashman’s ability to properly evaluate young pitching and hang to our prospects, this should form a formidable rotation for the future.
      
      This might be the smartest trades he’s ever made.
    - I Voted 4 Kodos
      
      Curt Schilling was a flyball pitcher, and he did pretty well in the AL East.
      
      Also check out Pineda’s GB/FB numbers as the year went on…he got much better: http://www.fangraphs.com/statsplits.aspx?playerid=5372&position=P&season=2011
      
      Now, that could be just sample size noise, or it could be he started doing a better job of keeping the ball low later in the year.
    - jsbrendog
      
      0 flyballs hit last year in safeco that were not already hr would have been hr in yankee stadium. moot. point. a flyball that barely leaves the infield is a flyball.
- Robinson Tilapia
  
  Perhaps they will. These things happen. I think we’ll all live were that to be the case.
The 6’7 & Above Club

If Jared Washburn could save his career in Safeco like he did a few years back then anything is possible.
statboy yankopherson

over/under 16 wins pineda
- Sweet Dick Willie
  
  Under, just barely.
- Robinson Tilapia
  
  Phuck it, baby. Let’s go all in. OVER.
  
  (Thankfully, money is not involved here.)
- pinata
  
  under. He got pounded by the RS. He got pounded by the Showalters. He’ll get pounded by the Jays.
  
  That will leave him with a lot of losses to make up.
  - http://www.riveraveblues.com Mike Axisa
    
    So that one game against the Red Sox last year means he won’t ever beat them? Sounds logical.
    - Steve (different one)
      
      Yes, 22 year old pitchers with great stuff and gaudy K rates never improve after their rookie season.
      - pinata
        
        And of course two pitch pitchers never get exposed, right?
        
        JoeyA
        
        Michael Pineda is a two-pitch pitcher the same way Rivera is a one-pitch pitcher.
        
        If you want to lump all of Mo’s pitches into one category of ‘cutter’, be my guest, but, in reality, he throws 3 or possibly 4 variations, each with specific, and varying, characteristics and purposes.
        
        Pineda has a few variations of a cutter, to go along with a devastating slider, at 23 years old, and he has a change-up, it just needs to get better. This isn’t Phil Hughes learning a CU, plus Pineda can get away blowing it by guys or generating swing-&-misses with his slider, especially at this age, while he’s still refining control as well as third & fourth pitches. And don’t give me the “Phil Hughes did well w/ a CU” BS, cause Hughes was never Pineda.
        
        This blog blew up over Montero being traded. I wasn’t thrilled, but switch the situations.
        
        If the Yankees had a guy like Pineda coming off that season at 23, and we traded him for Montero who, despite his tremendous and undeniable hitting ability, has very real questions about his long-term position, we would demand Cashman’s head.
        
        Let’s just see how this all plays out and give the benefit of the doubt to the guy who your favorite team has decided is intelligent enough to make hard decisions like this trade.
  - Mister Delaware
    
    Sabathia faced the Yankees twice as a rookie. The first time, he gave up 5 runs, 4 BB and 2 HR over 4 2/3. The second time, he gave up 6 runs and 3 BB over 1 inning. He has since proven that young pitchers who fail against good teams their first time around are destined to always fail. So I’m with “pinata”.
- RetroRob
  
  I say under, but not because of the quality of his pitching but because the Yankees will view him as a long-term asset who is young and had his highest innings total last season, and they will be expecting him to be available in the postseason, something he wouldn’t have had to face as a Mariner for about a decade.
  
  They’ll probably keep him in the 175 inning range during the regular season his first year with the Yankees, which will limit how how his wins will go. Yet Nova still won 17 in only 165 innings, so anything his possible, but I’m still saying under.
http://www.bronxbombersreport.com Craig Maduro

Now that the trade is official, we can finally see what else Cashman has up his sleeve – assuming and hoping that he does have something else up his sleeve.
Tyler

Anybody know what # Pineda will be wearing next yr?
DM

“Finally, Montero gave Alex Rodriguez a lot of credit for his improvement as a hitter. Montero said that, when Rodriguez found out he wasn’t going to the cage every day, Rodriguez said he would fine Montero $100 for every day he didn’t do extra cage work. Montero started going every day.”

Sad that a 25mil+/yr All-Star — who himself hits in the cage every day — has to prod a 22 yr old who’s trying to become a big leaguer. You’d think a young player — whose only ticket is his hitting — would be living in the cage already.
DR

Just saw Montero’s picture on MLB.com with a Mariner’s hat. It stings a bit…
- DR
  
  Mariners*