Seattle Mariners Trade Michael Pineda To New York Yankees For Jesus Montero

The Mariners and Yankees made quite the trade on Friday evening, sending Michael Pineda and Jose Campos to New York while Jesus Montero and Hector Noesi come west to Seattle. SB Nation Seattle already took a look at how the national media viewed the deal, but how did those who root for the M's on a nightly basis feel about the trade? We look to our very own blog, Lookout Landing, for some insight and comments on the trade.

From lead writer Jeff Sullivan:

I can't get over the fact that the Mariners now have Justin Smoak and Jesus Montero. I didn't think that was allowed. Smoak, Montero and Dustin Ackley could potentially - potentially - form a dynamite offensive core. Not long ago that trio would've made baseball people lose their shit. Before the 2010 season - the last time Smoak was rated - Baseball America had Smoak as baseball's #13 prospect, Ackley as baseball's #12 prospect, and Montero as baseball's #4 prospect.

An interesting question is where the Mariners go from here. I don't mean in the big picture; I mean immediately. Assuming the Mariners have money left, on whom do they spend that money? Prince Fielder almost certainly isn't an option anymore. Hiroki Kuroda just got snapped up, right as I started to like him. Do the Mariners try for Edwin Jackson? Do they somehow convince Roy Oswalt to play in the Pacific Northwest for a year? Do they trim payroll and piss everybody off? Do they trim payroll but then put those savings towards next year's payroll, pissing everybody off and then making everybody feel ashamed for getting pissed off?

We'll see. More to do. For now, this trade. It happened. It's a big one. I think the Yankees "won". Certainly, based on the Mat Latos example, they did. But the Mariners added two very interesting young players, one of whom is capable of doing some very interesting and very different things.

One of the comments from reader "Vogelscheuche" stood out:

Ok I'm a little more excited about this trade than I originally was.

Mostly because Ackley/Montero/Smoak/Carp could be pretty solid for many years.

And one more from reader "Chrisfyall":

Felix is ours and you can't have him

Seems troubling that six teams call Buster Olney saying, "Pineda was available?" because maybe we could have done better than this for Pineda.

But, geez.

Felix is still here, and we now have a young nucleus that could be good before Felix must go. That is the prism through which I view this trade. And that makes me happy.

It seems like most Mariners fans were just as surprised as most when this deal went down, and the main belief is that the Yankees won this deal as of today. As for the future, say, three years down the road, many feel it will balance out or the Mariners could pull ahead with the young nucleus Montero will be a part of.

For more reaction, be sure to head over to Lookout Landing.

The Seattle Mariners and New York Yankees shocked the baseball world with their deal that sent Michael Pineda and Jose Campos to The Bronx for Jesus Montero and Hector Noesi. If both Pineda and Montero live up to their potential, both clubs should be extremely happy with the trade. With everything now official, here is some of the reaction from those around Major League Baseball.

Buster Olney of ESPN:

Have gotten e-mails/calls from six team re:Pineda trade, and all are stunned the Yankees got Pineda.

— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) January 14, 2012

and another:

Strong reaction so far from other teams: Some execs from other AL East teams believe Yankees just made an incredible trade.

— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) January 14, 2012

Jayson Stark loves the deal for what it is:

Montero-Pineda is one of most fascinating deals in years. Two young studs with star power. No money factor. A pure, old-time baseball trade

— Jayson Stark (@jaysonst) January 14, 2012

Andrew Marchand of ESPN New York gives his take:

You win with pitching, not hitting. The Yankees are betting Pineda is the real thing. There was a time during this past season when he was outpitching Felix Hernandez. Through July 4, Pineda was 9-8 with a 2.58 ERA. He was striking out nearly a batter per inning (106 in 108 innings). Then, apparently, he tired out.

So, just like Montero, Pineda has shown flashes of true greatness. The Yankees think there is more where those first three months came from.

Mariners beat writer Greg Johns:

Early reaction: Yankees fans upset at losing Montero, Mariners fans upset at giving up Pineda. Both are top young 22-yr.olds.

— Greg Johns (@GregJohnsMLB) January 14, 2012

Keith Law of ESPN:

@sepinwall Writing it up now, but I think there's merit on both sides of this deal. Fills a need for each club.

— keithlaw (@keithlaw) January 14, 2012

This deal will certainly be the talk of the baseball world over the weekend. Most feel both sides will be happy in the long run. The Mariners got a potential catcher and (probably) their DH of the future, while the Yankees got a talented pitcher capable of being an ace one day.

For more on the deal and the Mariners, head on over to Lookout Landing.

The Seattle Mariners have reportedly sent starting pitcher Michael Pineda to the New York Yankees for top hitting (and catching) prospect Jesus Montero. Pitcher Hector Noesi is also reportedly heading to Seattle, but make no mistake about it: this deal was made to get the Mariners an impact hitter with Montero. Let's learn a little bit more about the 22-year old catcher.

Montero has been ranked as a top-prospect for a few years now and scouts drooled over his bat as he made his way through the Minor Leagues. There are some (including quite a few in the Yankees organization) who had doubts whether or not he could handle being an everyday starter behind the plate and some believe he will end up as a first baseman and/or designated hitter. Keith Law of ESPN had him ranked as the No. 4 overall prospect in baseball entering the 2011 season.

He got a cup of coffee with the Yankees this past season, belting out four home runs in just 69 plate appearances. He hit .328/.406/.590 in that time, although it was from a small sample size that was aided greatly by a BABIP of .400. In 109 games at Triple-A, Montero hit .288/.348/.467 with 18 home runs and 57 RBI. The kid knows how to hit, folks.

Here is a snippet from John Sickels' scouting report that was written a few months ago.

The 6-3, 235 pound Montero has everything needed to be a force at the plate, including power to all fields, bat speed and strength to spare. His strike zone judgment isn't perfect, but his strikeout rate is reasonably low for a young power hitter, and while he could need some adjustment time, scouts anticipate he'll hit for average in the long run. Even a conservative estimate projects him as an above-average power hitter for years to come, and it is easy to envision him as an MVP-type producer at his peak, hitting .300 with strong home run production.

Any doubts about Montero center on his glove. He has a strong throwing arm, but his throwing mechanics are less than ideal and he's not especially effective against basestealers. He caught just 20% this year for Scranton, and 21% in his minor league career. Other aspects of his defense have gradually improved. He's steadily cut down on passed balls (15 last year but just seven this year) and errors, and he has improved his mobility behind the plate. However, despite the improvement in his statistics, most scouts still rate his defense as mediocre at best, and as he gets older what flexibility he has will likely decline. There has been some talk of making him a first baseman, but he's never played the position and that won't help him much in New York, anyhow.

In the end, Montero will likely spend much of his career at DH, and there's nothing wrong with that if his bat develops as expected. Given his sweet spot on the age curve, he should develop into a premium offensive force. Even if his glove never improves further, his bat will keep him in the lineup for a long time.

Assuming everything checks out once the players undergo physicals, this will go down as one of the biggest trades of recent years. The Mariners got themselves a potential All-Star caliber slugger, while the Yankees got themselves a proven starting pitcher with the talent to become an ace on the mound.

For more on the deal, head on over to Lookout Landing.