After a very quiet offseason so far, Brian Cashman finally made some big moves. And before getting into the details, it’s worth noting that all the frustration and consternation from Yankee fans notwithstanding, this offseason has been as good as it could have been so far. After resigning with the Yanks himself, Cashman extended CC’s contract so he wouldn’t exercise his opt out and then resigned Andrew Jones. But it has been the non-action that has marked this offseason. Names like Pujols and Fielder have been available, and compared to years past when the Boss would have acquired them simply to bring another big name into the Bronx, the Yanks passed. Personally, I think there might have been a way to make room for Pujols, but that’s irrelevant at the moment. The point is that Cashman has not been the man to spend a lot of cash this offseason, which is simply due to the fact that the kind of help that the Yankees need (starting pitching!) has not been available in abundance.

So yesterday’s trade was a 2-for-2 swap between the Mariners and Yanks:

The Yanks gave up Jesus Montero and Hector Noesi. Let’s start with Noesi because he’s the less controversial of the two to be traded. Noesi is a 24-year old, right-handed, middle reliever. He has one year of major league ball under his belt which was 2011. During that season, he threw 56.1 innings in 30 games and gave up 63 hits, 22 walks and 6 home runs while striking out 45. He posted a 4.47 ERA with a 2 and 2 record for the year. While he obviously still has time to develop, his 2011 numbers didn’t exactly blow the Yankees away.

Now onto the more controversial of the two – Montero. I say controversial because there are quite a few Yankee fans who are very upset about seeing Montero get traded. I am not one of them. Montero is a 22-year old right-handed catcher. He has been touted as the Yankees next great power hitter, and although he has not had a lot of major league experience, he has shown signs of potential power. In his only major league season – 2011 – Montero had 61 at-bats in 18 games. In that time, he hit .328 with 4 home runs, 12 RBIs, 7 walks and 17 strikeouts. While it’s unrealistic to attempt to predict his future performance based on 61 at bats, it’s probably safe to say that he has so far proven that he deserves some serious time in a major league lineup to prove that he can play in the majors. I believe he will make a strong contribution to any team’s offense. However, even his supporters admit that he is not a strong defensive catcher. Not by a long shot. This leaves two options: Convert him to another position (remember Posada started his career as a second baseman) or make him your DH. His lack of speed makes him all but impossible to convert into an outfielder or a middle infielder. This leaves the corners. With Tex and A-Rod carved into their lineup for years to come, there simply isn’t any room for a guy who has no experience playing 1st or 3rd base. This narrows him down to being a DH. This may be a viable option on another team but the Yanks would be ill-advised to hold onto a full-time DH when they have names like Jeter and A-Rod who aren’t getting any younger or better defensively but still have very respectable offensive numbers they contribute to the Yanks’ offense. Those tow will surely need their share of DH days to keep they strong and healthy over the course of a 162-game season. So the question has to be asked: Is it better to keep Montero in New York to fill the DH slot or leverage his value in a trade and bring some other player in who can fill a hole. The answer obviously depends on who you can get for him, but Cashman seemed to get it right with this trade.

New York received two pitchers in return: Michael Pineda and Jose Campos. Campos, clearly considered the lesser of the two prospects, is a 19-year old right-handed starter who has not pitched in the majors yet and will likely be joining the Yanks at the A level. However it’s worth noting that Baseball America has assessed the following about him:

• His fastball has topped out at 98 MPH and is described as having deception, angle and life
• His hard curveball and his changeup show flashes of becoming plus pitches
• He shows poise on the mound

Not bad considering he is considered the afterthought in the trade. And the main piece the Yanks acquired – Michael Pineda – should have a more immediate impact. Pineda’s only major league season was 2011 during which he threw 171 innings over the course of 28 games. His record was a mere 9 and 10, but it was with Seattle’s offense backing him up, who were ranked 30th in runs, 30th in batting average, 30th in on-base percentage and 30th in slugging percentage. He posted a 3.74 ERA and gave up 133 hits, 55 walks and struck out 173. One thing that really stands out to me is his WHIP of 1.10. If that continues, this guy is going to be very successful. There are still some question marks, however. Can this guy stand up to the pressure of pitching in the Bronx? Were his numbers in his only major league season last year an anomaly or indicative of what’s to come in the future? Who knows? There is always risk when it comes to trades and acquisitions, but I like this one. Cashman has not had much to work with on the free agent market this offseason and there apparently wasn’t much out there being dangled for trade. The Yanks do need starting pitching, however, and this was one step towards possibly fulling that hole. It’s important to keep Pineda in perspective, however. He might not be the next Nolan Ryan or Roger Clemens. However, he doesn’t need to be. If there was a strong #2 pitcher up there right next to CC, then the Yanks can go from being a team who scrapes their way into the playoffs only to get the door slammed on them as soon as they get there to a team who can once again make a strong run at their next championship. Two thumbs up to Brian Cashman on this trade and how he has handled this offseason to date. Sometimes the best action is no action. Or, in this case, lying low until something smart becomes available.