Two Fridays ago - ten days - we learned that the Mariners were going to send Michael Pineda and Jose Campos to the Yankees for Jesus Montero and Hector Noesi. There were some delays, and Montero couldn't get to Seattle for his physical until this past weekend. He underwent a battery of tests, and there was no sign of the hype virus, or Eric Duncan Syndrome as it's known in some circles. So Montero was cleared, and now, at last, the trade is official.
I don't have anything to add at the moment that I or Matthew haven't already said. Yay, Montero is neat. Yay, Noesi is neat. Boo, Pineda was good, and boo, Campos could be good. Of interest is Jack Zduriencik's statement, which is a sentence fragment I can't believe I typed. On Noesi:
It is also beneficial that we were able to acquire a Major League- ready pitcher with six years of control and who will compete for a spot in our rotation.
So the Mariners see Noesi as a starter, like we figured. Good, that's the right thing. On Montero:
With this trade we feel we have acquired a premium offensive talent that has the potential to hit in the middle of our lineup and grow with our other young players [...]
Through our evaluations, we've identified the strength of our organization to be pitching depth, and this helped in our decision to acquire what we consider a premium bat and a potential starting pitcher [...]
Zduriencik talks about Montero being a talented bat, as he should, but he doesn't say anything about Montero being a catcher. Zduriencik didn't say that much so maybe this doesn't mean anything - maybe he just felt like praising Montero's offense - but it got my attention. This is the first public word on the trade from the Mariners' end (I think), and it could be a sign that they don't see Montero as a backstop.
Or maybe they do. I don't know. We'll all know more very very shortly, after Zduriencik and Montero go on a media conference call.
0 recs | 65 comments
More likely it's
“We see Montero as a catcher, but there is a chance it won’t work out… so we’re bloody well not going to commit ourselves to that being our measure of success.”
KingCorran - January 23, 2012
Pineda on the trade.
Tweet (1st of 3)
Tucci Mane - January 23, 2012
"I never thought I would become a New York Yankee so early into my career"
That fucker was going to leave us anyway.
Cascadian Man - January 23, 2012
What a prize cunt
Graham MacAree - January 23, 2012
I know most fans like to believe it
But not every athlete loves playing for seattle so much that they wouldnt want to leave.
It sounds to me like Pineda would’ve needed seattle to make a better offer than every other team in order for him to stay here, and even then he could still take less to play elsewhere.
I already really liked the trade, this just clinches it
briwas101 - January 23, 2012 via mobile
Actually, I assume every baseball player grows up wanting to play for the Yankees
With the odd exception. But even the ones that have some other team as a favorite still secretly entertain the idea of putting on pinstripes at some point in their career.
J0SER - January 23, 2012
True. Only so many players can have the background, "I've always wanted to play for the Mariners. I was a huge Griffey fan growing up."
Or you know, something along those lines.
EthanN - January 24, 2012
Luke French!
Aly Edge - January 24, 2012
I guess this makes me feel a lot better.
skwid206 - January 23, 2012
This trade is suddenly more okay with me.
harkening - January 23, 2012
Aw goddamnit.
What a bitch.
the other side - January 23, 2012
Hmmm
Now Montero needs to go out and say that he’s speechless to hit alongside Miguel Olivo. And playing alongside players such as Chone Figgins and Brendan Ryan is unbelievable.
Chipanese - January 23, 2012
He is going to be miserabel when he finds out that Jeff Gray is no longer on the team.
EthanN - January 24, 2012
One day into spring semester has already fried my brain to the point where I can't spell miserable anymore. Yikes.
EthanN - January 24, 2012
You just need to watch more M's baseball. You'll quickly get the hang of it
J0SER - January 24, 2012
Well he apparently was a Yankee fan growing up, so eh.
I’d probably be psyched to play for my favorite team too.
WhyGodWhy - January 23, 2012
Even though I don't think that means anything and he said similar stuff about Felix, if I recall...
I’m willing to pretend this really upsets me. Grrr, Pineda. What an ass and stuff.
CapSea - January 23, 2012
He's just preparing to get better after he leaves, like they all do
pdb - January 23, 2012
most of them do, but
i think it’s statistically improbable that Pineda gets better in that bandbox.
Lucas Cervi - January 23, 2012
It's entirely possible I was kidding because they don't all get better after they leave
pdb - January 23, 2012
it sure seems like they do though, doesn't it?
even guys like Mike Morse, who you don’t expect. or maybe we only see the negative, as Mariner fans.
Lucas Cervi - January 23, 2012
.
lemonverbena - January 23, 2012
.
Craptastic-J - January 23, 2012
Maybe you weren't around for the last word on that?
At least it should have been
J0SER - January 23, 2012
hense "seems"
we only see the bad. we are the Gloomy Guses of the sports world.
Lucas Cervi - January 25, 2012
"I mean, I knew I would eventually joing my friend Felix
as a Yankee eventually. Now I’ll be there waiting for him when he arrives after he finishes his current contract."
Lucas Cervi - January 23, 2012
Don't take this the wrong way, but I want to put you in a cervical collar.
abender20 - January 23, 2012
sorry, i get off on picking at scabs.
they’ll pry Felix from our cold, dead fingers.
Lucas Cervi - January 23, 2012
My guess is that most of our fingers outlive yours.
ToddK - January 23, 2012
yay
Felix Hernandez: The rotation will be fine
JY - January 23, 2012
OH HAY SEE THAT KEN ROSENTHAL!!?
ThundaPC - January 23, 2012
I love Felix more than anything in the world...
but my girlfriend can’t know I said that.
Clown baby - January 23, 2012
If she doesn't understand...
then she’s probably not worth it.
EequalsMc2 - January 23, 2012
Mine is well aware that Felix is the greatest love in my life.
She begrudgingly accepts it, and for that I love her.
Cascadian Man - January 23, 2012
Mine caught me reading this thread
And asked me I wrote this comment. I fortunately could say no and did not bother to point out that I wrote the one which prompted this.
Clown baby - January 23, 2012
She will get suspicious when you make her wear the jersey.
JAH - January 23, 2012
WHO DO WE LOVE
WE LOVE FELIX
AND THOSE FUCKERS WILL NEVER HAVE HIM
cwel87 - January 24, 2012
And here I thought he grew up dreaming of being a Seattle Mariner
lemonverbena - January 23, 2012
Pitching alongside CC Sabathia and you're speechless?
You pitched alongside Felix Hernandez. That shit better have rendered you mute for weeks.
Two Rs and Two Ls - January 23, 2012
Ah!
That “so early” burns so bad!
Mariner Melee - January 23, 2012
Maybe he'll die in a small fire
Corco - January 23, 2012
According to Wikipedia, as of now
Michael Pineda is “a baseball pitcher for the New York Yankees” and Jesus Montero is “a baseball catcher for the New York Yankees.” Is there something they’re not telling us?
ATM's34 - January 23, 2012
The ol' Cashman flim flam.
Tucci Mane - January 23, 2012
Montero is on our roster at mariners.com, but his profile page is still a Yankees page.
ESPN hasn’t bothered to update either roster.
algorhythm - January 23, 2012
When is the media conference call by the way?
algorhythm - January 23, 2012
It's now apparently!
algorhythm - January 23, 2012
Montero, you tease.
Per Drayer
Chipanese - January 23, 2012
He's in for some disappointment.
Cascadian Man - January 23, 2012
I guess it's technically possible to win at least one game.
I’ll give him credit for that.
Chipanese - January 23, 2012
A longer version of the quote
cdlewey - January 23, 2012
I just got the snippet, "Trade's Off", in my browser,
and my instant reaction was not joyous. I think I know how I feel about this trade, finally.
EricsLilHeros - January 23, 2012
Cashman swears up and down that he's a catcher. Zduriencik won't go there.
It seems like if he had a lot of confidence in Montero’s ability to catch, he would go there. Which doesn’t give me a lot of confidence in his ability to catch, but gives me a ton of confidence in his bat since it would mean Z acquired him knowing he might not play any defense.
Kenneth Arthur - January 23, 2012
Maybe calling him a "great catcher" would have been too misleading.
Leaving out catcher allows GMZ to avoid the embarrassment.
CapSea - January 23, 2012
Z said "he'll be given every opportunity to catch"
Sounds like the perfect Z way of saying that they think he can be a catcher, but don’t know for sure yet. Non-committal for sure, but Z did not rule out Montero catching.
algorhythm - January 23, 2012
Displaying a lot of confidence in Montero's ability to catch would be extremely questionable
because so few people are confident in Montero’s ability to catch. Safe to just say “we love is bat” because that’s an indisputable truth. The last thing Z needs is casual fans damning his lack of foresight if/when Montero is DHed.
Bullpen Bully - January 23, 2012
Cashman may swear up and down whatever he wants
But he went out and got Russel Martin when he could have brought up Montero, and when they finally did bring him up they didn’t have him catch very much. There’s what you swear, and then there’s what you do.
J0SER - January 23, 2012
OT: Z also apparently indirectly confirmed the Millwood signing.
If you don’t know about this, its neat: https://twitter.com/#!/d_a_cameron/mariner-writers
algorhythm - January 23, 2012
.
Cascadian Man - January 23, 2012
He looks sharper in a suit, holding a bat at Safeco Field than wearing an M's jersey
I guess that makes sense. Suits are classier than jerseys, especially Mariners jerseys.
GriffinNW - January 23, 2012
Even the sleeveless ones back in 1997?
EequalsMc2 - January 23, 2012
You mean the rusty redneck pickup wife-beater jerseys?
So classy.
J0SER - January 23, 2012
I was actually a fan of those when worn with the compass/silver brim hats.
Except when worn by out of shape or smaller players. Then it’s just funny.
sanford_and_son - January 24, 2012
So [opposite of dry].
BigR - January 23, 2012
[coathanger]
Dewey N - January 23, 2012
{mine are bigger}
Poochie - January 24, 2012
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