Friday, January 13, 2012

Quiet No More!

It was a relatively quiet offseason for the Yankees...that is up until about an hour ago. The Yankees pull a blockbuster trade with the Mariners. Yankees send Jesus Montero and Hector Noesi for stud young pitcher Michael Pineda. With in minutes of that deal the Yankees also sign Hiroki Kuroda. It looks like it's a 1 year deal for $10MM for Kuroda. So in a matter of minutes the Yankees rotation had a bunch of question marks now goes CC, Pineda, Nova, Kuroda, and Garcia, Hughes and Burnett fighting for the #5 spot.

Yankees are now looking for a DH since they just traded their starting DH, and Carlos Pena is apparently top on their list.

I'm a little stunned at the trade. While I love Montero and was looking forward to Noesi this year, Michael Pineda is a beast. He has a great fastball and had one of the highest K rates in the game. Teixeira actually called King Felix and Pineda the best 1-2 in the game. Now that's CC and Pineda. Great deal, sad deal.

Hearing many GMs like the deal for the Yankees, but the gave an Edgar Martinez type bat in Montero. I actually think that is a great comparison by the way.

What are your thoughts?

What are your thoughts.

27 comments:

Mid said...

Given Cashman's track record the last 12 seasons I do not have high hope this deal will be additive.

While I'm glad I won't have to listen to Old Prof roll his R's when discussuing this guy - I am certain that Montero is a League MVP candidate.

Kuroda is old, and Pineda is not a proven commodity with only one, sub .500 season under his belt.

A big yawn from the world of Middle Relief.

Mid said...

NFL

I'll tell you what - while the world has been focused on Tebow and the Packers - the Patriots looked like a team possessed last night.

Very impressive - I'd say the forget the NFC or the result of the Baltimore/Houston game - the Super Bowl is Brady's this year.

Crash said...

For the past month I've been saying the only team that was a threat to the Giants in the playoffs was the Saints. Now that SF took care of them, I truly feel anything less than a trip to the Super Bowl would be a disappointment.

I like Cashman's candor in an interview on Sirius/XM he said if Pineda does not develop into a true #1 starter this trade is a failure. He truly believes Montero is along the lines of a Miguel Cabrarra. But he feels that replacing a hitter of his caliber is easier than having a young true #1. I think Noesi is going to have a HUGE season in that pitcher friendly Safeco Field park.

old professor said...

Okay Mid, so I won't have to roll the r in Monterrrrro. Yankees gave up too much. Pineda pitched well last year with 179 strikeouts and an ERA of around .378. The one time I watched him pitch, I believe he came close to shutting the Yankees out.

Giving up Montero was to high of a price and leaves the position of DH open. I am intrigued why the team gave up Noesi for a nineteen year old. Odd odd trade.

The signing do Kuroda is a real mystery. This is a guy who last year did not want anything to do with an east coast team. So the Yankees go out and sign him. This gives them seven starters going into spewing training. Someone else is going to be moved. My bet Burnett or Hughes is gone within the next couple of weeks. It also means the Yankees still need a long man out of the pen.

old professor said...

This has nothing to do with the Yankees since I am not sure how to comment anymore on a trade that still mystifies me.

The Giants played what I believe was a great game yesterday. They beat a team they were not expected to be close to. So on to the championship game!

I am concerned with the secondary. There were many dropped passes by the Packers receivers that were for lack of a better sense wide open. The secondary has to play better against San Francisco.

old professor said...

Yesterday, I commented on the trade of Montero and the signing of Kuroda saying that it just about closed the door on Colon. It now appears that Colon has agreed to sign with the A's pending a physical.

Still leaves a long reliever hoe in the Yankees pen. There are also rumors the Yankees are talking to Damon about being the DH.

Crash said...

I have been very critical of the Giants secondary all season. But they actually stepped up big in these 2 playoff games. Yes the Packers dropped some balls and were wide open 2 or 3 times. Those were the plays that burned the Giants in the first meeting. But in general their coverage on the wideouts was great. That's why Rodgers ended up leading the Packers in rushing yesterday...because all of his receivers were covered.

SF doesn't have the same caliber of QB or WR. Vernon Davis is really their only receiving threat. You can't cover him with a LB so they better treat him like a WR play him accordingly. I'm not convinced Alex Smith has what it takes to win a big game against a defense like the Giants.

Now to the Yankees...Old Prof I don't understand what is confusing about this trade. Pineda has a chance, a very good chance, to be a true ace along the caliber of Felix Hernandez. The Yankees felt they needed to improve their rotation. And they did that. They dealt from their strength (prospect catching depth) and improved their area of need at the big league level. Montero is a hitter, not a catcher. Girardi and Cashman have openly stated they like defensive catchers and anything offensively is a bonus. Clearly Montero just didn't fit into the plans right now. The trade has a chance to work out well for both clubs. Pineda will have a monster first half, he will blow the fastball by everyone. But the second time around the AL East, he better have his other pitches or else he will get lit up.

Mid said...

There is nothing tougher than to play a team again that you shouldn't have beaten before but did - that is the situation San Fran finds itself in this weekend.

They are good team, Alex Smith seems to have come into his own, but until proven otherwise, not a championship level QB.

The Giants beat San Fran in every facet of the game - except the most important one.

Now is there time for redemption and that is a much more powerful motivator than proving it is not a fluke.

I agree with Crash, anything but a Super Bowl appearance would be disappointing.

Mid said...

Just saw this stat:

Giants are 3-11 all time at Candlestick. . . ouch.

old professor said...

Crash, regarding Pineda had a great first have of the season, BUT won only once after the all star game. In addition, you may want to take a serious look at his splits. He as great at home and below average on the road. He may have benefited from playing in a pitcher friendly park.

I will admit he has a real great upside considering his velocity and slider. But you made a glariing statement regarding the second time around - he needs to develop a third pitch specifically his change up.

I am more intrigued with the second part of the trade that involved Noesi for the Campos. Campos is a raw talent who projects as a monster in the rotation down the road. I am convinced the Yankees did not have a spot in the rotation for Noesi and were hesitant to send him back to triple A. I do not believe the Yankees are done with trades - Burnett's days are numbered.

Crash said...

The home/road splits are exactly the type of argument I expected from you. You see one thing, an ERA that was above 4 on the road. Meanwhile his strikeouts, walks, hits, whip, HR rate, fly ball rate, groundball rate, etc., all remain fairly consistent...what does that mean...he was the same pitcher on a crappy team that couldn't win on the road. Also, being a right handed pitcher in Safeco pretty much neutralizes the "pitcher friendly" SafeCo.

This was a good old fashion baseball trade, not a salary dump by one team, not a swap of bad contracts. This was take my great hitting prospect and I'll take your great pitching prospect. Each team dealt from their strength to bolster an area of need.

I will agree on your other points though. Campos could be a great prospect after this year. He was only in A ball and needs to work on a bunch of stuff, but he could finish this season in AAA and actually could be "ready" by 2014 according to some scouts.

Burnett has to be gone soon. I know Girardi wants the flexible DH for A-Rod, Jeter, and Tex, but I would still be looking for a big bat. I hear Carlos Lee may be on the market. He is set to make $18.5MM this year (his last year of a 6 year deal). Yankees trade AJ for Lee...Yankees could theoretically take on about $14.5MM of AJ's salary and "break even" in the deal. But let's say they pay $8MM this year, the Astros immediately save $10MM this season and still have a veteran guy with #2 stuff for next year.

old professor said...

Crash I suppose you write off the fact he went 1-5 after the all star break and did not pitch well in most of his starts after that point.

Maybe with an offensively minded team that will score runs, he won't have to worry about being fine and/or giving up runs.

Crash said...

Again you're just looking at surface numbers. he went 1 and 5 big deal. In 3 of those 5 losses he went at least 6 innings giving up 3 Runs. Over those 3 losses his WHIP was 0.6. GIVE ME A BREAK Old Prof. you clearly have no idea what you're talking about. And in 3 of his no decisions in the second half he gave up 3 earned runs or less. Just taking averages, the Yankees scored 5.4 runs per game last year. If that's the case those 3 ND and 3 losses turn to 6 wins. All of sudden Pineda goes from 9-10, to 15-7...not bad.

Crash said...

Rangers do get the Darvish deal done (surprise). Now there's talk that they will make a play for Fielder as well. The consensus opinion is if they do sign Fielder, Josh Hamilton becomes a free agent at the end of this season. In my opinion they, the Rangers, need to find a way to both sign Fielder and keep Hamilton if they want to remain relevant in the AL West. They do not have the pitching to compete with LA, and if they don't keep Hamilton and sign Prince they don't have enough offense.

old professor said...

The Yankees are giving serious consideration to giving Jorge Vasquez the opportunity to become their left-handed dh and spare corner infielder when A-Rod or Tex needs a rest. While the guy has proven he can hit, he is somewhat of a defensive liability. Having said that I do not believe his defensive limitations will cost the Yankees games.

It is also odd to some degree there has not been much talk about bringing back Eric Chavez. He is a proven hitter and can play third and first when needed. (Maybe the team is viewing Vasquez and the better financial and younger fit).

Red Sox sign Vincente Padilla to a minor league contract. They apparently continue to scrap the bottom of the barrel.

The signing of Darvish is a big financial investment for the Rangers to make. The Hamilton or Fielder story will take on a life of its own. No one can argue that when healthy Hamilton has the ability to become a game changer. Fielder has shown he is a durable everyday player that can put up monster numbers.

Maybe it is because of the feel good story behind Hamilton's resurection in sports that would make me commit to Hamilton long-term over Fielder.

Crash said...

If Hamilton becomes a free agent, the Yankees sign him and they will either let Swisher walk or trade Gardner.

Yankees are "actively" shopping AJ and willing to eat more than $8MM initially offered. If I'm a team in need of pitching I would do this deal. You figure if the Yankees eat $8MM, that essentially puts AJ at an AAV of $12MM, that's not unreasonable. Potential teams: Astros, Mets, Nats, Marlins, Braves, Padres, Cubs, and LA Dodgers (that list is my opinion, not anyone with inside knowledge). The Yankees would be use the cost savings toward a DH.

Old Prof I agree with you on this one...I wouldn't be opposed to letting Vasquez be the part time DH. Essentially that's what Montero would have been. Vasquez has proven he can hit, not to the level of Montero...but still he's an affordable option and he has earned his shot, they should give it to him.

old professor said...

Wow, the Indians got hit with a real surprise when Carmona was arrested for using a false identity. Apparently Carmona's real name is Heredia and he is not 28 but 30. The Marlins are faced with a similar problem with a pitcher from the Dominican.

Sports Center showed a home run hit by Cespedes in the Dominican winter league. A real moon shot. Yankees are indicating they don't have the funds to be competitive in signing the kid. (If he is a kid and his name is really Cespedes).

Crash said...

Yeah Carmona may not be able to get his work visa. His career in MLB is in trouble.

Big game is Sunday at 6pm. No surprise here, I'm picking the Giants to advance to the Super Bowl, 24-10 over the 49ers.

Crash said...

Speaking of work visa...Montero is now having troubles getting his visa and he can't leave Venezuela to have his physical to complete the trade.

old professor said...

Did you happen to catch the gaffe by our vice president while he was making a speech in San Francisico?

He yelled out and got very animated saying the Giants were goiing to win the championship. He could not understand why people in the audience were booing him. One of his aides promptly informed the VP that the Giants were the NY Football team and the the San Francisco Giants were the cities baseball team.

Crash said...

How can Syracuse lose to Notre Dame???

old professor said...

The orangemen had an off day and Notre Dame played exceptionally well.

Rays resign Carlos Pena thus admitting they made a mistake a year ago. Still wondering if or when the Yanees make a decision on Chavez. It may all depend what happens in arbitration with Martin and Logan.

old professor said...

The Montero trade is expected to be finalized today. Yankees also looking at and expressing interest in a cuban pitcher.

Giants pull it out in overtime. Defense bent but didn't break. Secondary still needs to tighten up a little.

Crash said...

The only scoring plays were busted coverage in the secondary. This plays also accounted for most of 49ers offense. I was right that Alex Smith wasn't up to the challenge. Outside of those plays he was below average. That 49ers defense is tough. Not having seen them really I didn't believe the hype but they were for real.

If the Giants want to win this Super Bowl the secondary is going to have to play flawlessly. I think the NE TEs can be covered by LB and S. I would force the Patriots to win using their running game.

Crash said...

Joel Sherman says that Cashman is looking for a veteran DH type in a trade for AJ...if no takers he will look for a younger player under control and trade Hughes. I think Raul Ibanez would be a perfect fit for Yankee Stadium.

old professor said...

I can see trading Burnett. He has proved he does not have the mentality to pitch in NY. He has been one of the biggest free agent busts the Yanees have ever made. He is a redo of Kenny
Rogers.

Trading Hughes would be a BIG mistake/ He is young and his best years are still in front of him. Last year was a result of letting the previous year go to his head and believing he was gauranteed a spot in the rotation no matter how he pitched (all he had to do was watch the pathetic performances of Burnett to realize how bad you can pitch and stay in the rotation).

Hughes has recommitted himself to coming to camp in shape and to have an outstanding season.

old professor said...

Posada officially announces his retirement today. He realized there was not much of a market for him as a catcher and apparently as he tried to begin workouts, the fire was no longer there.

When you look at his statistics and compare them to other Yankee catchers in the hall - Dickey and Berra- he ranks very high. It will be interesting to see: (a) will be be a legitimate hall contender and (b) will the Yankees honor him by retiring his number?

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