Yankees trade Montero to Seattle for top pitcher

The New York Yankees put the finishing touches on a huge trade involving the Seattle Mariners Friday night. Now hold onto your horses because the trade does not involve Mariners ace Felix Hernandez, the dynamic ace for the M's whom the Yankees have coveted for years.

Michael Pineda is now a Yankee.

Instead, the Yankees will settle for the next best pitcher from the Mariners rotation, Michael Pineda. Pineda who went 9-10 with a 3.74 ERA and 173 strikeouts last season in Seattle, is coming to the Bronx in exchange for Yankees top catching prospect Jesus Montero.

It was believed for a few years that Montero would be the heir apparent to Jorge Posada, but with current back stop Russell Martin holding onto the position this year and Austin Romine quickly coming up in the Yankees farm system; it made Montero expendable. Montero has a strong bat, but there are questions about whether he can catch in the majors.

Pineda became the Mariners number two starter last season, known for his powerful fastball and deadly change-up. The 23-year old Pineda joins a Yankees rotation that added more depth Friday afternoon when the club signed former Dodgers pitcher Hiroki Koroda to a one year deal.

The Yankees rotation, which was such a question mark last season, is looking pretty good right now. With CC Sabathia and Ivan Nova at the top of the rotation, you can pencil in Pineda and Koroda right behind them, with A.J. Burnett coming up as a number five starter, and Freddy Garcia as an option out of the bullpen. All of a sudden the Yankees have a deep rotation to square off with the Red Sox and Rays in the East, and, most importantly, with the Tigers, Rangers and Angels in the American League.

With spring training five weeks away, the Yankees were pretty quiet this off-season. They waited out on Koroda who debated extensively about returning to his native Japan, and the team watched as some top pitching free agent targets like Mark Buehrle and C.J. Wilson signed contracts elsewhere. Then again, one can make the argument that the market for a free agent pitcher was not very good this season, and the Yankees were better off waiting to get someone, even if it meant waiting 'til July 31.

Instead, the Yankees may have made out the best of anyone in the league. Koroda is not the greatest pitcher in the world, but he is a decent number four starter, while Pineda is a budding star. Yankee fans should get used to having Pineda and Nova at the top of this rotation for years to come.