Post#67 » by Michael Bradley » Sat Jan 14, 2012 7:28 pm
This trade will look better for the Yankees next year when they sign Cole Hamels. Then they will have Pineda on a pre-arbitration deal as their 3rd or 4th starter and there will always be DH types available for cheap. If Montero were a legit catcher then the Yankees probably don't make this trade, but since he is a DH, the risk involved is a lot less. Montero would have to turn into Miguel Cabrera for the Yankees to regret giving him up for a glaring need.
The key with Pineda is whether his numbers will translate to the AL East. His ratios say they should translate, but you never know. A flyball pitcher at Yankee Stadium facing Boston, Tampa, and Toronto 3-4 times each will skew any pitcher's numbers. Once his H/9 normalized a bit in the 2nd half his ERA skyrocketed (5.12) and his ERA away from Safeco was mediocre (4.40). It will be interesting to see if he continues to be a #2 calibre pitcher in the AL East. We have seen what the AL East has done to pitchers with much better track records.