CHICAGO — If the Yankees and Pirates had completed a deal last month that involved Francisco Cervelli and Brad Lincoln, Jesus Montero might have been promoted to the big leagues before the trade deadline.
Now, the Yankees are considering elevating their top position prospect from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to the big leagues before rosters expand from 25 on
Sept. 1. Asked if the right-handed-hitting catcher could be in The Bronx this month, general manager Brian Cashman said it was “possible.”
Of course, he also said it’s “possible” pitchers Adam Warren and George Kontos could be elevated from Triple-A.
Because the rosters are capped at 25 until Sept. 1, the Yankees would have to clear a spot for the 21-year-old Montero. Cashman refused to speculate how Montero would fit.
According to two Pirates sources, the Yankees came close to dealing Cervelli for Lincoln, a 26-year-old right-hander with a dozen big-league games who is currently in the minors.
That swap would have cleared a spot for Montero.
“It was very close, but couldn’t agree on the value of the players,” a source said.
If the Yankees want to revisit the Pirates deal, Cervelli would have to clear waivers.
Replacing Cervelli with Montero, a raw defensive catcher with no big league experience, in the middle of a pennant race would be odd. Montero doesn’t have a lot of experience handling the experienced Yankees staff.
Montero’s promotion could cut into Jorge Posada’s time as the designated hitter because it is unlikely the Yankees would view Montero as simply Russell Martin’s backup.
In 86 games at Triple-A going into last night’s action, Montero was batting .283 with 10 homers and 50 RBIs.
When the Rockies were talking to the Yankees about trading Ubaldo Jimenez, they were interested in Montero, but viewed him as a first baseman instead of a catcher.
— Additional reporting
by Tim Bontemps