Sports News
Quietly, Yankees Make Moves to Get Much Better
As the sports world geared up for the Divisional round of the NFL playoffs, New York Yankees' General Manager Brian Cashman was wheeling and dealing behind the scenes.
The story did not make the kind of splash that it would have caused at the MLB winter meetings, in large part because few people are actually paying attention to baseball right now. So if a trade and a free agent signing are made and nobody really pays attention, does it still make the Yankees a much more dangerous team in 2012?
The answer is overwhelmingly yes.
The biggest need for the Yankees heading into spring training was the starting rotation, which was underwhelming in 2011. After C.C. Sabathia, the Yankees were in desperate need of a solid #2, and probably #3 starter.
In the span of 24 hours, the team addressed both needs.
The most noted move was a trade completed with the Seattle Mariners. In exchange for top-hitting prospect Jesus Montero and right-handed pitcher Hector Noesi, the Yankees received the 6-foot-7 right-hander Michael Pineda and pitching prospect Jose Campos.
First, let's look at what the Yankees received in the deal. Pineda is just 23 years old and went 9-10 last season as a rookie with a 3.74 ERA. He struck out 173 batters in 171 innings, but was considerably better in the pitcher-friendly Safeco Field than on the road, where he had a 4.40 ERA.
Campos, meanwhile, is just 19 and has a fastball in the high 90s, but will probably start the season in Low A ball.
In return for the two pitchers, the Yankees gave up the player who was expected to fill their designated hitter role in 2012. In 61 major league at-bats last season, Montero hit .328 with four homeruns and 12 RBIs. Though his defensive prowess behind the plate was often questioned, it matters less in the American League.
Additionally, the Yankees picked up free agent Hiroki Kuroda for one year at $10 million. The Yankees have tried to obtain the former Dodgers pitcher multiple times, including once last season and once in the middle of the 2011 season. Kuroda, however, never warmed up to the idea of pitching on the East Coast until recently. He had a 3.07 ERA for the Dodgers last season, but will have to transition to pitching in the AL East.
The Yankees now can move Ivan Nova down to the number four spot in the rotation, and choose from Phil Hughes, A.J. Burnett and Freddy Garcia to round out the rotation, instead of being forced to use all of them to start the year.
Though the moves did not get much press coverage, the Yankees got a whole lot better this weekend. You can be sure that even if the media didn't pay much attention, the rest of the league sure did.
Photo Credits: Sports Illustrated
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