MLB

Yankees address rotation issues

LOOKING TO THE FUTURE: The Yankees acquired 6-foot-7, furler Michael Pineda and prospect Jose Campos for designated hitter Jesus Montero yesterday to help bolster their starting rotation for the future. (
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In an attempt to address 2012 and, yes, 2014, the Yankees yesterday loudly ended what had been a mostly quiet offseason by trading Jesus Montero and stockpiling arms for now and the future.

The Yankees traded Montero and Hector Noesi to the Mariners for Michael Pineda and Jose Campos; and also signed Hiroki Kuroda to a one-year, $10 million deal.

On the surface, this was about the Yankees addressing their biggest concern going into the 2012 campaign: Their rotation. They recognized there was fortune in having Ivan Nova emerge and Bartolo Colon and Freddy Garcia resuscitate last year.

So the Yankees responded by, in their mind, adding more certainty in Kuroda and more upside in Pineda to go along with CC Sabathia, Nova, Garcia, Phil Hughes and A.J. Burnett. It gives the Yankees volume and potential in a 2012 rotation that should be supported by a strong bullpen and powerful offense — though perhaps not as powerful without Montero.

But everything the Yankees do now is also touched by 2014.

For a variety of financial reasons tied to the new collective bargaining agreement, they hunger to be under the $189 million luxury tax threshold that season. They already have Sabathia, Alex Rodriguez and Mark Teixeira signed for $74.4 million in 2014 and you can assume that it will cost at least $40-$45 million annually to retain Robinson Cano and Curtis Granderson, who are both free agents after the 2013 season.

Thus if the Yankees also have to add a $20 million starter or two, well, there is no way they could be under the $189 million figure.

In Pineda, Campos, Manuel Banuelos and Dellin Betances, the Yankees will have four of the better starting pitching prospects in the majors plus Nova and Hughes.

It gives them at least a fighting chance moving forward to fill out a rotation behind Sabathia in a cost-effective manner.

One American League assistant general manager said, “Pineda is a top-of-the-rotation starter and we like Montero, but only see him as a [designated hitter].

A future of CC, Pineda, Nova and Banuelos is very compelling.”

All six executives who responded to a query about the trade liked it most for the Yankees. One National League GM said: “I like it quite a bit from the Yankees’ perspective. Pineda is a premium guy and Campos (just 19) would be a top-10 pick if he were in the upcoming draft.”

An AL GM said of the Yankees, “They had a great trade chip [in Montero] and used it wisely.”

The loss of Montero will sting. As the Yankees showed in last year’s playoffs, they have many big names, but not many guys who can hit top-flight pitching. Montero sure looked like he could with his quick bat and opposite-field fury.

The Yankees agreed and also thought Noesi could be as good as a No. 3 starter. Which shows just how much they see Pineda eventually working in behind Sabathia to form a powerful 1-2 rotation punch. In the end, the Yankees believe finding offense is always easier than finding ace types.

Meanwhile, Kuroda with a four-pitch repertoire, competitiveness and professionalism is going to be expected to provide No. 3-starter like sturdiness. He will have to prove he can make the translation from a big park in the NL West to Yankee Stadium and the AL East, especially after he had initially exhibited no desire to leave Southern California.

But for a one-year deal that came with no draft-pick compensation, the Yankees saw him as a good risk to try to help them in 2012 as the ultimate money-doesn’t-matter now team suddenly keeps ita eye on not just the immediate prize, but also the 2014 payroll.