SEE YA IN SEATTLE: The Yankees dealt powerful prospect Jesus Montero yesterday in an effort to solidify their starting rotation for the future. (Getty Images)
You didn’t really believe the Yankees were going to stay quiet all offseason, did you?
With a pair of moves last night, the Yankees renovated their rotation, surrendering top offensive prospect Jesus Montero in the process.
The Yankees shipped Montero and right-handed pitcher Hector Noesi to Seattle for 6-foot-7 right-hander Michael Pineda and pitching prospect Jose Campos. In addition, the Yankees signed former Dodgers right-hander Hiroki Kuroda for one year at $10 million. Both moves are not finalized until physicals are completed and approved.
Montero had long been the prize of the Yankees’ farm system and he honored some of the hype with a 61-at-bat cameo last year in which he hit .328 with four homers and 12 RBIs. He had been penciled in as the starting designated hitter and a part-time catcher for 2012, but figures to play a much larger role in Seattle’s moribund lineup.
The Yankees will now weigh adding a bat to offset the loss of Montero. Owner Hal Steinbrenner had to be pushed to expand the payroll for Kuroda, so he might not be willing to do much more for a hitter. Thus, Prince Fielder is definitely not in the Yankees’ plans; but free agents such as Carlos Pena or Johnny Damon could be if the price is right.
Montero was part of the July 2010 trade to the Mariners for Cliff Lee that fell apart when Yankees second base prospect David Adams failed Seattle’s physical.
So rather than a sure-ace such as Lee, the Yankees now hope they are cashing in Montero for a future ace in Pineda. The 23-year-old went 9-10 last year as a rookie, with a 3.74 ERA, while striking out 173 in 171 innings. Nevertheless, he had a 4.40 ERA away from pitcher-friendly Safeco Field and a 5.12 ERA in the second half.
But the Yankees made a decision they only would deal Montero for a top-of-the-rotation starter, so they clearly see Pineda in that light. He is a fastball-slider pitcher, who needs to further refine his changeup to improve his chances of becoming an ace.
Campos has a similar repertoire to Pineda (Yankees scouts had him as high as 97 mph last year), but he is just 19 and is ticketed for Low-A Charleston for the Yankees in 2012.
As for Kuroda, the Yankees had been after him for a while. They tried to sign him last offseason and also to obtain him in a trade last July. But he was hesitant to pitch on the East Coast and had toyed with the idea of returning to Japan after the 2011 season. Nevertheless, he lowered his demands from $13 million to $10 million and agreed to join the Yankees. He was 13-16 with a 3.07 ERA last season for Los Angeles and will face the challenge of transitioning from the NL West to the AL East, and a pitcher’s park to hitter-friendly Yankee Stadium.
Throughout the offseason, general manager Brian Cashman said he was looking for rotation help as the Yankees had concern about both depth and quality. He had re-signed Freddy Garcia, but with a tighter budget, Cashman never really played for free agents C.J. Wilson or Mark Buehrle, and did not make a spirited effort for Japanese import Yu Darvish. The Yankees were hoping patience would bring lower prices for starters like Kuroda, Edwin Jackson and Roy Oswalt.
* The chances of Cuban outfielder Yoennis Cespedes landing in The Bronx continue to appear slim. Not only have the Yankees been reluctant to add a long-term deal to their payroll this offseason, they don’t have an ideal fit for him on the roster because they likely would have to move Nick Swisher.