Pineda Mows Down 16 O's in Yankees' 20th Win

photo courtesy of usatoday.com

Michael Pineda's Major League career has been and up and down journey threw injuries, pine tar suspensions, and high expectations. There was a lot of outrage among Yankees fans in January, 2012 when he was acquired for the Yankees top hitting prospect Jesus Montero. Fans had heard for so long that Montero would be an offensive superstar, the deal came as a shock, even to those of who liked the idea of obtaining Pineda from Seattle. (Keep in mind I was also thrilled when the Yankees acquired Jeff Weaver.)

The outrage got amped up when Pineda missed all of 2012 and 2013, due to shoulder surgery, without ever having thrown a baseball in a Yankees regular season game. Meanwhile in Seattle, Montero hit 15 home runs and drove in 62 runs for the 2012 Mariners in his first full season in the Majors.

Much has changed since then though and on a sunny, Mother's Day in the Bronx on Sunday, Pineda made it clear who the trade has worked out better for in the long run. The 26-year old struck out 16 Baltimore Orioles in a 7-inning stint as the Yankees won their 20th game of the season. (The team's best 32-game start since 2010.)

Due to injuries, Pineda was limited to 76.1 innings in 2014, but posted a 1.89 ERA and struck out seven batters per nine innings. With the 6-2 win over Baltimore, Pineda raised his record to 5-0, lowered his ERA to 2.72 and raised his K's per nine innings to 10.49. Montero, meanwhile, waits for his call at Triple-A Tacoma, a season after he had a dispute with a team scout who sent ice cream during a game to the out-of-shape Montero.

With injuries to Ivan Nova and Masahiro Tanaka, and CC Sabathia not pitching like the ace he once was, Pineda has become the de facto ace of the team. The Yankees are 6-1 in Pineda's seven starts, 14-11 when someone else has toed the rubber in the 1st inning. Pineda's most remarkable stat has to be the 18:1 strikeout to walk ratio he has posted in 46.1 innings. He has issued just three free passes this season and only one in his last four starts.

Pineda tied David Cone for the team record for strikeouts by a right-handed pitcher in a single start.

Mariners Get Cano Some Hart

In attempt to build a lineup around Robinson Cano, the Seattle Mariners agreed to terms with Corey Hart on a one-year, $5MM deal. The contract could also pay out an additional $8MM if incentives are reached.

Hart missed all of the 2013 season due to knee problems, but hit 30 home runs and had an .841 OPS in 2012 and has slugged at a rate of .495 over his nine year career.

The 31-yr old spent his entire professional baselball life in the Milwaukee Brewers organization after they selected him in the 11th round of the 2000 draft. The Mariners are hoping he can make up for the loss of 1B/DH Kendrys Morales, who is expected to sign a free agent contract elsewhere. Hart is likely to split time between the outfield and DH.

In addition to Hart, the Mariners also landed outfielder Logan Morrison from the Florida Marlins on Wednesday for pitcher Carter Capps. Morrison was once a top 20 prospect and produced 23 home runs, 72 RBI and a .797 OPS in his first full season (2011) in the Major Leagues. But injuries limited Morrison to 178 games over the the last two seasons and when he did play he didn't produce.

And I did it..made it all the way through this entry without a Corey Hart, "I wear my sunglasses at night" reference.

Cano Gets His Intro and Clears the Air

For now, Cano has gone back to his old #22

Robinson Cano officially became a Seattle Mariner Thursday afternoon with his introduction to the Seattle media. Sporting a David Ortiz-esque beard, Cano set some things straight about his time in New York and the negotiations that took place this off-season in a sit down interview with ESPN's Pedro Gomez prior to the news conference.

Cano felt disrespected by the Yankees during the free agent process, though he declined to provide details. He said he took less money to come to the Mariners...which is laughable. The Yankees final offer was seven years and $175MM or $25MM per season, while the Mariners deal is for $24MM a year. In Cano's mind the annual salary, which was only a difference of $1MM, was taking less money than the $240MM compared to $175MM. Yeah, okay.

The All-Star second baseman added that it wasn't about the money, he wanted this to be his last contract. He realized that when a player turns 36- or 37-years of age it's more difficult to get a new deal.

Cano admitted that he hated batting second in 2013, that he would have liked to have been consulted about it - (paraphrasing) "it's a difficult spot in the order to hit...you're expected to give yourself up, move runners over, etc. I'm not that kind of hitter. I could understand batting there if all the big guys were healthy, but they weren't."

Despite his spot in the order, the 31-year old said he had no problem with manager Joe Girardi or general manager Brian Cashman. He complimented Girardi on helping him to become an All-Star and having led them to a World Series championship. He had similar words about Cashman.

When asked about his legacy after having watched the send off Mariano Rivera received, Cano said Mariano is a special person and it was wonderful to see what took place and be a part of it, but he has 10 years in Seattle and maybe he will build a legacy there.

Gomez queried him about the much talked about lack of "busting it" to first base every time. Cano's response was "I've heard that criticism before. Would you rather have me for 160 games a year or would you rather I played 120-130 games a year and got hurt?" Apparently Cano didn't pay attention to Derek Jeter all this time.

Cano said he had a great time in New York and he thanked everyone and said he was treated very wellby the fans. Cano reitered that the contract wasn't about being greedy, it was the length of the deal that was important to him. He'll find out that many Yankees fans - who have never seen one of their star players in their prime walk away - don't look it that way.

My Opinion - Those fans that will boo have the right to do so, but Cano should not be treated that way. He did plenty for the team and should be shown respect. The Yankees have constantly pilfered other teams' free agents. It's part of the game, get over it.

Report: Cano and Mariners Agree to 10 Year, $240MM Deal

How long until Cano makes this face and thinks "what have I done?"

Apparently Robinson Cano was heavily influenced by Jay-Z and Roc Nation Sports or he's just plain greedy and not too bright.

ESPN Deportes' Enrique Rojas and CBS Sports Jon Heyman reported that the Seattle Mariners and Cano have agreed to a 10-year, $240MM contract. Yes, you can put the word crazy in any spot in that sentence.

Cano was originally seeking a 9 or 10 deal worth $235MM to $310MM, depending on who you believe. Despite his supposed desire to remain with the Yankees, Cano felt the Yankees dissed him by giving Jacoby Ellsbury $153MM over 7 years, which in turn limited the money they could give Cano. Cano's father felt the same way and publicly expressed his opinion on the topic.

The Yankees also didn't seem to want Cano back for some reason. GM Brian Cashman, who earlier today praised Cano, spoke about the second baseman a couple of weeks back and only referred to him as "the player". Cano had been a steady bat and glove in the lineup nearly every day - he's only missed 12 games in the last seven seasons.

The Yankees were obviously not going to go overboard after they bid against themselves and gave Alex Rodriguez a ridiculous 10 year contract in December, 2007. But perhaps the Yankees underestimated what it would take to keep Cano in pinstripes. A 10 year, $240MM contract is ridiculous and I'm glad the Yankees did not aqueous, but a 7-year deal for $189 (27 per season) might have done the trick. Instead, the team refused to budget off a range that wasn't that much more per season than Ellsbury's new deal, despite the wide gap in production between the two.

The Mariners are the big losers in this. While Cano will help them offensively, though not as much as they would like in spacious Safeco Field, he isn't going to bring fans out to the ballpark. He's a great player, but he's not Miguel Cabrera or Mike Trout. Also, a 10 year deal for a player 30 or over is as dumb as it gets.

Robbie Cano no longer making fools aware. He is the fool.

Enjoy your Starbucks Robinson.

Yankees Bring in Ryan As Nunez Continues to Play Goalie With the Baseball

He didn't save money on his car insurance. He found out he's now in a pennant race.

With Derek Jeter out indefinitely with ankle soreness, the Yankees knew they had to do something to strengthen their defense at shortstop. Eduardo Nunez continues to be unreliable defensively so expect to see Brendan Ryan replace him in the late innings.

Ryan was acquired from the Seattle Mariners after Tuesday night's game for a player to be named later. Though he won't be eligible for the post-season (you have to get there first) his defense will be a big boost up from both Nunez and Jeter at this point.

He's not likely to get many starts, however, since his bat is lacking. Just a .238 career hitter, Ryan hit just .198 for the M's this season. The '70s porn 'stache will have to go though. Everyone has to sacrifice in tough times.

Ichiro the Artist Collects 4,000th Career Hit

Earlier Wednesday afternoon Michael Kay wondered aloud on his radio show if anyone cared about Ichiro Suzuki reaching 4,000 career hits. How could we not? It doesn't matter that it occurred in two different countries. It's an incredible achievement.

The achievement occurred earlier this evening at Yankee Stadium in Ichiro's first at-bat of the night. Facing Toronto Blue Jays knuckleballer R.A. Dickey, Ichiro waved his magic wand and slapped a single past third baseman Brett Lawrie into left field.

As the fans gave him a standing ovation and a plethora of photographers clicked away, Ichiro's teammates came out to congratulate him.No player may have been more excited than Toronto infielder, fellow countryman and Ichiro's teammate in Seattle last year, Munenori Kawasaki. In reaching the milestone, Ichiro joined Pete Rose and Ty Cobb as the only players to eclipse 4,000 hits.


Ichiro started his professional career with the Orix Blue Wave in 1992 and remained there until he joined the Seattle Mariners prior to the 2001 season. The Mariners dealt the pending free agent to the Yankees at the 2012 deadline and then he re-upped with NY in the off-season.

No matter where Ichiro has played, his game is one of artistry. He runs with the grace of a young Baryshnikov while wielding a bat like a master swordsman. He doesn't get as many hits as he did when he was younger; when he seemingly got hits at will.  How could anyone hit when they moved both feet like Astaire while swinging the bat? No one else has been able to do it.

He has lost a step, but can still out run players nearly half his age. The rifle for an arm isn't quite what it used to be, but he can still run down any ball and make it look easy. (He made a sliding catch in tonight's game.) Instead of stealing bases at will, he picks his spots and is still successful. (He entered Wednesday's game with 18 steals in 21 attempts.)

In a word, Ichiro's career is legendary.

Pineda To Take the Ball For Trenton

Michael Pineda takes another step towards his first regular season appearance for the Yankees when he starts for the Double-A Trenton Thunder.

This will be Pineda's third official minor league start of the season, with prior two coming as a member of the Florida St. League's ('A+') Tampa Yankees. Pineda has also thrown simulated and extended Spring Training.

Pineda, acquired from Seattle with Jose Campos in a controversial deal for Jesus Montero and Hector Noesi prior to last season, was shut down during Spring Training of 2012 and underwent shoulder surgery that threatened his career.

Reports have been good during Pineda's comeback with his fastball reportedly topping out at 95 mph. He could eventually take the place of Phil Hughes or David Phelps in the Yankees rotation.

Everybody Hurts...All the Time

"Can someone untie my shoes?"

If REM had been singing about the Yankees the lyric would not have been "Everybody hurts sometimes." The Yankees not only lost a game to Seattle last night 3-2, which caused mental anguish from losing two of three to the Mariners, but Andy Pettitte and Chris Stewart both had to leave the game early.

Pettitte felt spasms in his upper back that wouldn't go away no matter how much he stretched between batters and pitches. He left the game after 4.2 innings pitched and saw his record fall to 4-3. He's already missed one start due to a balky back so there is a definite reason for concern.

His battery mate, Stewart, left the game after he felt pain in his groin running the bases. He went for an MRI and could land on the DL, which presents a problem. There are only three catchers on the 40-man roster - Stewart, Francisco Cervelli already on the DL, and Austine Romine, who has served as Stewart's back up.

Scranton has two catchers- veteran Bobby Wilson (decent glove/no bat, 191 games with the Angels) and Jeff Farnham, a 25-year old that has played just seven games at the Triple-A level. If Wilson were added, someone on the 40-man roster would have to be designated for assignment. It likely would be the end of the line for Ben Francisco, who has just five hits in 40 at-bats.

Pettitte is the bigger concern right now. The Yankees need a healthy, consistent Pettitte taking the mound every five days if they are to compete. The Texan has become much more of an injury risk the last few years. He missed chunks of time with a groin injury in 2010 and a broken ankle last season. It would be no surprise if, at the very least, Pettitte missed his next start.  It's possible Ivan Nova will be ready to rejoin the team by then.

The Mariners also had to deal with an injury last night when Pettitte's opponent, Aaron Harang, was scratched from his start due to a stiff back. Former Yankee Hector Noesi, a piece of the puzzle in the Jesus Montero-Michael Pineda deal, stepped in and stepped up. Though he didn't figure in the decision, Noesi limited the Yankees to one unearned run and three hits in 4.1 innings pitched.

Oliver Perez, the former Met, picked up the win after he struck out three batters in 1.1 innings pitched. Mike Morse hit his 10th home run if the season (off of Shawn Kelley) and scored twice. Yankees rookie David Adams picked up his Major League RBI when he doubled home Curtis Granderson in the 2nd inning to tie the game at one apiece.

Robinson Cano singled in a run in the 7th, but couldn't come through in the clutch in the 9th inning against closer Tom Wilhelmsen. Brett Gardner reached first on a single and stole second and third. But with one out and the tying run 90 ft away from home plate, Wilhelmsen struck out Jayson Nix and retired Cano on a game ending ground out.

Yankees Add Pen Depth With Kelley

With Rafael Soriano gone, Mariano Rivera coming back from a major injury, and the inconsistent pitching of Joba Chamberlain, the Yankees added some depth to their bullpen by acquiring Shawn Kelley from the Seattle Mariners.   Outfield prospect Abe Almonte, who had recently re-upped with the Yankees on a new minor league deal, was sent to Seattle.

Kelley put up pretty good numbers in the 120 appearances he made with Seattle in his four year career. He was designated for assignment last week when Seattle added free agent catcher Kelly Shoppach to their 40 man roster.

After a season in which he struck out better than a batter an inning, Kelley had avoided arbitration when he and the Mariners agreed on a one year, $935K deal. He'll compete with the likes of former Mariners teammate David Aardsma in the Yankees pen.

The 23-yr old Almonte was a second baseman when he started out as a 17-yr old prospect in the Dominican Summer League before shifting to the outfield. He can play all three outfield positions and is good for 30 stolen bases a year.

Morse Headed to Mariners in 3 Team Deal

I was hoping the Yankees could work out a deal for power hitting outfielder/first baseman Michael Morse, but the 6'5" slugger will call Seattle his new home in 2013.

The Mariners acquired Morse from the Washington Nationals in a deal that also involved the Oakland A's. Mariners catcher John Jaso will be headed to Oakland, while the A's sent A.J. Cole and Blake Treinen to the Nationals. A player to be named later will also be sent from the A's to the Nationals.

Morse was a light hitting utility infielder when he played for the Mariners from 2005-2008. Morse began to show some pop with his bat in his first year in Washington (2009) and followed it up with a break out season a year later when he hit 31 home runs and drove in 95 runs. Injuries limited Morse to 102 games in 2012, but he managed to hit 18 HR and knocked in 62.

Morse and Kendrys Morales, acquired earlier this off-season from the Angels, are expected to help bolster a Mariners lineup that was dead last in runs scored (619) last season. He became expendable in Washington when the Nationals re-signed first baseman Adam LaRoche.

Jaso split his time between catcher and DH last season and set career highs in home runs (10), RBI (50), and OPS (.850).

Cole was drafted by the Nationals in the fourth round of the 2010 amateur draft and dealt to Oakland as part of the package that brought 21-game winner Gio Gonzalez to DC prior to last season. He stood out at Double-A Burlington last year with a 2.07 ERA and struck out 102 in 95.2 innings before a promotion to Triple-A.  .

Treinen was selected by the A's in the 7th round of the 2011 draft and spent last season at high Class 'A' Stockton.

Ibanez is Once, Twice, Three Times a Mariner

After a heroic 2012 campaign, Raul Ibanez was hoping to return the Bronx this coming season, but instead chose to play for the Seattle Mariners for the third time in his career. He'll earn $2.75MM in base salary with incentives to earn more money.

Ibanez likely took a look at the glut of left-handed hitters on the current Yankees' 40-man roster and decided he would get more playing time elsewhere. He's expected to share left field and DH duties for the Mariners, who lost 87 games last season.  Seattle had already added Kendrys Morales via a trade with the Los Angeles Angels.

Ibanez played more than expected during the regular season due to injuries and came through with 19 home runs and 62 RBI in 384 at-bats But it was.Ibanez's late inning heroics in the stretch run and post-season that will not be forgotten. None more so than Game 3 of the division series with Baltimore when Ibanez, pinch-hitting for Alex Rodriguez, tied the game with a home run and then won it with another home run in the 12th inning.

All that being said the Yankees certainly did not need another 40+ year old player on the 2013 roster.  Ibanez was a member of the Mariners from 1996-2000 and again from 2004-2008. He was a  member of the NL pennant winning Philadelphia Phillies that lost to the Yankees in the 2009 World Series.

Jason Bay Signs to Play at Yosemite

My expression is better than gymnast Maroney's

One of the most disastrous free agent deals of the last decade (not as bad as Carl Pavano's) was the NY Mets signing of outfielder Jason Bay prior to the 2009 season.  It was a four year deal worth $66MM with opportunities to increase the dollar amount.

Bay went from hitter friendly Fenway Park to the spacious new Citi Field and the rest is misery. Bay made up for the loss of Manny Ramirez in Boston when he slugged 36 HRs and drove in 119 runs in 2008.  It led to a 7th place finish in the AL MVP voting and the shiny new deal with the Mets.

But Bay was constantly battling injuries in New York, the worst of which was a bad back that drained him of his power. He hit 26 home runs and drove in 104 runs over three seasons and averaged just 96 games a year.

The Mets finally gave up this off-season and released the 34-year old native of Canada on November 7th with  one year left on his deal. (The Mets and Bay reached a financial agreement that included deferred money, and Bay became a free agent.)

First things first, if you're a hitter you want to find a home ball park that is conducive to hitting.  Of course in Bay's case, team's weren't knocking down his door based on his last three seasons. The Seattle Mariners did have interest and were willing to gamble. They reached a one year agreement yesterday for an undisclosed (low) amount of money.

Yes, after playing at spacious Citi Field, Bay signed with a team whose home park is always referred to as a "pitcher's park".

Good luck with that.

Jayson Gets Big Hit Just in the Nix of Time

Nix's game winner - courtesy of greenwichtime.com

The Yankees were this close to a miserable 1-6 West Coast swing against the Oakland A's and Seattle Mariners, but Jayson Nix delivered a go ahead 3-run double in the 8th inning and the Yankees topped the Mariners 5-2 Wednesday afternoon.

Unless GM Brian Cashman pulls off a deal for another asset, Nix and Eric Chavez will be looked upon to provide production at third base in light of Alex Rodriguez's broken hand. Nix entered the game hitting just .235 with 7 RBI, and faced a bases loaded situation after Josh Kinney hit Derek Jeter to start the 8th and Lucas Luetge gave up back to back singles to Robinson Cano and Mark Teixeira.

Curtis Granderson fouled out before Joe Girardi sent Nix up to pinch-hit for Raul Ibanez. Seattle manager Eric Wedge countered with right-hander Shawn Kelley, but Nix ripped a ball up the alley in left-center field to clear the bases. Russell Martin added an RBI single later in the inning for some insurance, but Nix's hit was huge for a player who entered the game just 1-9 with runners in scoring position.

Yankees starter Ivan Nova struggled his way through five innings and walked a career high six hitters. The final two free passes started the 6th inning and ended Nova's day. The Yankees bullpen was outstanding once again though as Clay Rapada, David Phelps, and David Robertson combined for three scoreless innings as a bridge to Rafael Soriano.


The Yankees' closer allowed a 2-out single in the 9th, but struck out Ichiro's replacement, Carlos Peguero, to end the game.


Notes

Utility Infielder Ramiro Pena was recalled from Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to take A-Rod's spot on the roster.

Derek Jeter (twice), A-Rod, and Ichiro were all hit by pitches in the last two games, but no Yankees pitcher retaliated. Felix Hernandez, who through the pitch that broke A-Rod's hand, said after Tuesday night's game that he "felt bad" about what happened. Hernandez does not have a reputation of a hitting batters.

David Phelps picked up his second victory of the season and struck out two batters to give him 51 K's in 46.2 innings pitched.

With A-Rod out of the lineup, Girardi moved Ichiro in the lead off spot and slipped Jeter back into his old number 2 hole.

Jesus Montero had to feel pretty good about himself after throwing out Ichiro when his former teammate tried to steal second base in the 5th inning.

Yankees Scratch Their Ich For An Outfielder

Shane Victorino, Denard Span, Justin Upton; those are the names we kept hearing that the Yankees were looking at to bolster their outfield once it was learned Brett Gardner was likely done for the season.

But as we've seen in the past, GM Brian Cashman made a move for a player that no one heard mentioned. Late this afternoon, that player turned out to be Ichiro Suzuki, the multiple All-Star right fielder for the Seattle Mariners.

Suzuki is a free agent after this season, so the cost wasn't all that much- minor league pitchers D.J. Mitchell, who has had a few cups of coffee with the big squad, and Danny Farquhar.  The Yankees will also assume the $2.225MM remaining on  Suzuki's contract.

Suzuki been a nine time All-Star since he signed with the Seattle Mariners before the 2001 season. In his first season alone, Suzuki captured the AL Rookie of the Year and MVP Awards. To date, he's collected 2,533 hits, including a record 262 in 2004. Suzuki topped the 200 hit plateau in the first 10 seasons of his 12 year career. At the moment, the 38-year old is hitting a career low .261 and has posted a career low .642 OPS (His .645 OPS in 2011 was the worst of his career to this point).

Beside being a hitting machine, Suzuki has stolen 438 bases, though he has attempted just 17 this season (with 15 swipes). He stole 40 in 47 attempts last season and has stolen bases at an 83.4% clip in his career.

Suzuki is also known for his prowess in right field, though he will be playing left field for the Yankees (Joe Girardi did mention that Suzuki will play right field on days Nick Swisher DH's or has a day off). He won Gold Gloves in each of the first 10 seasons of his career and has amassed 100 assists, though most base runners will not tempt fate on his cannon of an arm.

Mitchell was the Yankees 10th round pick out of Clemson in 2008. He compiled a 44-24 (.647) record with a 3.56 ERA in 94 minor league appearances, 87 of which were starts. Ironically, Farquhar was a 10th round pick by the Toronto Blue Jays in the same 2008 draft. He's been in the Blue Jays, Oakland A's, and Yankees organization this season. Neither pitcher is considered to have a high ceiling.

Suzuki wore 51 with the Mariners, but the Yankees wisely did not make that number available in honor of Bernie Williams. Suzuki chose to wear #31 and will bat 8th as the Yankees open their series in Seattle Monday evening.

Baseball Digest | Friday Night Flights: Montero, Pineda Swap Coasts

Shortly before 8 p.m. EST Friday night, you may have heard a blood curdling scream in the New York/Metropolitan area. It came from the lungs (and fingers for those who scream in type) of Yankees fans who had just learned of the trade of the team’s number one prospect, Jesus Montero.

Similar reactions may have been heard on the left coast when Seattle Mariners fans found out their young stud pitcher Michael Pineda was headed east. The Yankees and Mariners have reportedly completed a four player exchange with their young studs as the centerpieces.

As first reported by the Seattle Times’ Larry Stone, the Yankees sent Montero and pitcher Hector Noesi to the Mariners for Pineda and pitcher Jose Campos. Noesi was one of the Yankees promising young starters on the rise, and showed some of his mettle as a reliever at the Major League level last season. Campos is a 19-yr old right-hander with potential (Evaluator John Sickels rated him as the #5 M’s prospect for 2012 and had this to say, “Grade B: We need to see him at higher levels and his secondary stuff needs refinement, but his upside is very high, he throws hard, and already throws strikes.”), but will not have an impact for quite some time.

Clearly this deal was about the Yankees need to boost their starting rotation and the Mariners need for a big bat. After being rebuffed in their attempt to acquire Felix Hernandez, the Yankees went after his young teammate (Pineda will be 23 next week).

Pineda’s rookie season of 2011 saw him finish 9-10, 3.74 with a 1.10 WHIP and 173 strikeouts in 171 innings. The 6’7″, 260 pound native of the Dominican Republic limited AL hitters to a .211 batting average and gave up just 133 hits. He also held right-handed hitters to a .587 OPS with a torrid fastball and nasty slider. According to Fangraphs.com, Pineda averaged 94.7 mph on his fastball, the fourth best mark in the AL.

>Pineda dominated in pitcher-friendly Safeco Field (2.92 ERA in 12 starts) and was much better in the first half before tiring down the stretch. In fact, the Mariners limited his innings per start over the final two months of the season.

With the Yankees lacking pop from the right side, Montero got the call to the bigs in August and produced a .996 OPS in 69 plate appearances. Among Montero’s 17 hits were four home runs and four doubles, and he drove in 17 runs. Montero has good power to the opposite field and averaged 18 home runs in his first four full seasons in the minor leagues. He was nearly dealt to the Mariners at the 2010 trade deadline for Cliff Lee, but Seattle opted to obtain Justin Smoak from Texas instead.

In Montero, the Mariners get a player with 30 home run potential, even if their ballpark is not suited to a hitter’s needs. There were mixed feelings within the Yankees organization as to whether or not the 6’4″ Montero could make it in the Major Leagues as a catcher and that certainly played into the decision to deal him. With 1st base occupied (Mark Teixeira) and the DH slot needed to give the Yankees aging stars (Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, etc.) a rest, there wasn’t much room for Montero to flourish. With Seattle, he’ll get that chance.

Brian Cashman told the Bergen Record’s Bob Klapisch that he believes he took a big gamble. ”I gave up a ton (for Pineda). To me, Montero is Mike Piazza. He’s Miguel Cabrera.” He may have taken a risk, but this deal appears to be a “win-win”, with both teams profiting. It also puts the Yankees back on top as the favorite in the AL East.

Cashman wasn’t done dealing on Friday night though. A short time after the trade was reported, word came that the Yankees and free agent pitcher Hiroki Kuroda had agreed to a one year contract, pending a physical, worth $10-11MM. Kuroda was thought to be seeking a $13MM deal.

Kuroda, who turns 36 in February, came over from Japan in 2008 and was 41-46 in four seasons with the LA Dodgers, despite a 3.46 ERA. He’s coming off a 13-16 season with a career low 3.07 ERA and a 3.7 WAR, also tops in his four seasons.

With the two acquisitions, the landscape of the Yankees’ starting rotation changed drastically. Prior to Friday evening, the Yankees five man squad was made up of ace CC Sabathia, 2nd year man Ivan Nova, the erratic A.J. Burnett, Phil Hughes, and surprise 2011 stand out, Freddy Garcia. Hughes’ immediate future is now up in the air and he could be used as trade bait to bring back a bat. The Yankees would most certainly rather trade Burnett, but the $33MM owed to him is an albatross around Cashman’s neck.

The Yankees would be looking for a short term, low salaried player. CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman reported tonight that Carlos Pena was among the bats that were piquing the Yankees interest.

Yankees sign Hiroki Kuroda too.

Burnett Throw Seattle A Curve

Admit it, you do it too. You see A.J. Burnett is scheduled to pitch for the Yankees and you start making alternate plans. Those plans can kick in before the game starts or some time after the first pitch. You're not alone though. Last night my wife and I watched the season premiere of Parenthood on NBC. That's a show that comes on at 10 PM EDT...the same time as the Yankees first pitch for their west coast road game in Seattle.

I checked out what was going on during the commercials and put the game on after the show since it was a still a reasonable game. In fact the Yankees were up 2-1. But Burnett was struggling and then he appeared to be hurting. Flinching, flexing his shoulder until final Joe Girard,i accompanied by trainer Gene Monahan, made a trip to the mound. I fully expected Burnett to be pulled, but the trip was brief. Burnett said he was ok and Girardi and Geno departed.

Then something funny happened. Burnett beared down and started throwing a nasty hook that fooled one Mariner after another until Burnett had struck out a season high 11 hitters. At the end of the night the Yankees had a 3-2 win and a three game winning streak. The icing on the cake came when Mariano Rivera earned his 600th career save with a scoreless 9th inning. Rivera joins Trevor Hoffman as the only two pitchers to reach the 600 mark and Rivera is now just one save behind Hoffman for the all-time record.

The Yankees gave Burnett an early lead with a pair of runs in the 2nd inning. Robinson Cano got the Yankees on the board with his 26th home run of the season off of Mariners starter Charlie Furbush. Jesus Montero followed with a single and Andruw Jones moved him to third base with a double. One out later Furbush wild pitched Montero home for the 2-0 advantage. The Mariners immediately got one back on a 2-out Brendan Ryan single in the bottom of the 2nd.

Seattle tied the game in Burnett's flinching, troublesome 4th inning after they loaded the bases with a double, walk, a hit batsman. But Burnett held Seattle to just a run on a Miguel Olivo sacrifice fly and then, after a wild pitch moved both base runners into scoring position, struck out Adam Kennedy to keep the game tied.

The Yankees took the lead in the 6th when Nick Swisher doubled and Mark Teixeira singled to put runners on the corners with no one out. Cano then hit a potential double play grounder, but Seattle was only able to get one out as Swisher scored for a 3-2 lead.

Notes

It was an up and down night for Jesus Montero; he had two hits, but after a double, was doubled off second base on a line drive hit in front of him. Chalk it up to a rookie mistake, which makes you wonder what Robinson Cano was thinking when he got doubled off first base after forgetting how many outs there were.

A.J. Burnett has a 4.15 ERA in September after posting an ERA over 11 in August.

Yankees Overthrow The King

The Seattle Mariners have a promotion this season for the fans of star pitcher "King" Felix Hernandez. Those who join the King's Court get tickets, t-shirts, and other promotional items. Last night the Court was in full voice in support of their "monarch", but the Yankees dethroned the King in a 9-3 New York victory.

Mark Teixeira belted a solo home run (his 37th) and Chris Dickerson added a 2-run shot as the Yankees scored five runs in the 4th inning to take command of the ball game. Robinson Cano put the game on ice with a 3-run double in the 7th. The run support was more than enough for winning pitcher Phil Hughes to even his record up at 5-5. Hughes allowed one earned run and five hits over six innings as he outpitched last year's AL Cy Young Award winner.

Hernandez had dominated the Yankees in the past, posting a 6-3, 2.82 record in 10 career starts. It looked like it was going to be another long night for the Yankees against Hernandez when the right-hander retired the first six hitters he faced, but Brett Gardner and Chris Dickerson led off the 3rd inning with back to back singles to put runners on the corners. With one down, Dickerson stole second base and Derek Jeter brought Gardner home with a ground out. Seattle used some speed in the bottom of the 3rd to tie things up.

Brendan Ryan reached on a single and swiped second. With two outs and first base open the Yankees elected to pitch to Ichiro Suzuki instead of rookie Kyle Seager, and Suzuki made them pay with an RBI single. The Yankees took control immediately in the 4th when Teixeira went deep to right. Cano followed with a double and moved to third on Nick Swisher's bloop single.

Eric Chavez put the Yankees ahead for good with a sacrifice fly and Gardner followed with a ribbie double. Dickerson then blasted his 1st home run of the season for a 6-1 Yankees lead.

The Mariners tried to come right back by putting two aboard with two outs in the bottom of the inning, but Hughes got Trayvan Robinson to fly out to Gardner in left for the final out of the inning. The situation was repeated in the 6th and final inning for Hughes, with Robinson again flying out to strand two runners.

Notes

One day after making his Major League Debut, Austin Romine made his first Major League start, collected his first big league hit, and scored his first run. With Russell Martin probably out at least one more day and Francisco Cervelli suffering from a concussion, the Yankees lineup will include both Jesus Montero and/or Austin Romine for the foreseeable future.

Scott Proctor allowed a 2-run home run to Miguel Olivo in two innings of work and has a 6.75 ERA since rejoining the Yankees.

Alex Rodriguez is expected to sit out until the weekend due to his badly bruised thumb.

Nick Swisher returned to the lineup with his inflammed left elbow, but was used as the first baseman to cut down on throws he had to make. Mark Teixeira DH'ed.

King Ends Mariners Skid

Felix Hernandez is the big grand prize that every team in baseball wants, but Seattle put him under lock and key and said, "not happening". Hernandez has not matched his Cy Young season of a year ago, but he's still pitching well enough to win as he did in a 9-2 victory over the Yankees. The win snapped the Mariners 17 game losing streak and evened the King's record at 9-9.

Hernandez walked four batters in seven innings, but limited the Yankees to a single run. Yankees starter Phil Hughes scuffled through six, but departed trailing just 2-1. However, Cory Wade, Boone Logan and the Yankees defense let the game get out of hand with three unearned runs in the 7th inning.

Ichiro, who was 4-5 on the day, led off the inning with a double off of Wade and Brendan Ryan and his bad 'stache followed with an infield single. Logan produced a potential double play ball from Dustin Ackley, but Robinson Cano's flip to second base was wild for a run scoring error. Logan walked Justin Smoak to load the bases and one batter later Mike Carp unloaded them with a triple when Curtis Granderson couldn't hold onto his deep drive to center. The final run of the inning came in on Franklin Gutierrez's double off of Luis Ayala.

As for Hughes, it wasn't a pretty sight. The right-hander is still in search of his stuff that made him so succesful in the first half of 2010. He allowed nine hits, walked two and threw 101 pitches. (65 for strikes.) On the positive side he worked out of a lot of jams. On the negative side...he was in a lot of jams. What Hughes performance showed more than anything is that the Yankees really do need to acquire another solid starter if they are to truly compete in this year's playoffs.

Notes

Alex Rodriguez turned 36 on Wednesday.

Rafael Soriano is likely to be activated on Friday for the four game set with the Orioles. Steve Garrison is the most likely candidate to be sent down.

FullCountPitch - Total Domination

If you live in the metropolitan area you’ve seen the commercial hundreds of times. Two car rental agents sit around the break room talking about the prior night’s New York Yankees game. One refers to it as “Total domination”.

You can bet today there are plenty of workers sitting around their break room, standing by the vending machines or watercoolers, discussing last night’s Yankees game and using the phrase “Total dimination” with regularity.

That’s because last night CC Sabathia was about as good as you can be without throwing a perfect game. Granted, his opponent was the hapless Seattle Mariners, but that doesn’t make 27 up and 27 down any easier to do. From the 1st inning on though it appeared Sabathia might just have a date with “baseball immortality” as Yankees’ radio man John Sterling likes to put it.

Sabathia breezed through the first three innings and then the Mariners bats made a breeze as Sabathia struck out the side in the 4th and 5th innings. Unfortunately, Mother Nature had other plans and you could tell by the 5th that a rain delay was imminent.

Lightning lit up the sky and it began to drizzle as the Mariners came to bat in the 6th inning. This was no Roy Hobbes story though. Sabathia struck out Mike Carp, for his seventh straight K, to start the frame. But then the skies opened up and rain came down in sheets. A 31 minute delay interrupted what appeared to be destiny calling.

There was no question Sabathia would come out after the relatively short delay. He kept loose throwing underneath the stands and re-took the mound to face rookie Greg Halman. Sabathia retired him…but on a pop up. Suddenly contact was made. The next batter, Chone Figgins, grounded out to Derek Jeter to end the inning.

18 up, 18 down, but Sabathia’s location was a little off and bat was meeting ball. Sabathia struck out Ichiro to start the 7th, but quickly fell behind 2-0 to Brendan Ryan and then let a 94 mph fastball get too much of the plate. Ryan slapped it in to left-center field for the Mariners first and only hit of the night. Sabathia bounced right back and blew away Dustin Ackley and Miguel Olivo for his 13th and 14th strikeouts (a new personal high) on the night.

Read more about Sabathia's game and the Mariners' July demise at FullCountPitch.com, where the content is always free.

CC Brings Out The Beast

It didn't take long to realize that the Seattle Mariners were in for a very long night at Yankee Stadium this evening. CC Sabathia was dominant from the start, perfect for 6.1 innings, and sharp as nails until a second rain delay threw him off his game in the 8th inning. The result was a 4-1 Yankees win that pinned a 17th straight loss on the Mariners, who had just one hit on the night.

In winning his Major League best 15th game, Sabathia outshone his counterpart, Doug Fister, who pitched well enough to win on most nights. But Sabathia was literally unhittable- he struck out seven straight at one point and 14 overall, setting a career high. His seventh straight strikeout was Mike Carp to start the 6th inning, but then the rain came down in sheets and led to a 31 minute rain delay.

When play resumed Sabathia retired the final two batters in the 7th on a pop out and ground out. Sabathia k'ed Ichiro Suzuki to begin the 7th, but Brendan Ryan hit a clean single to left-center to break up the perfect game and no-hitter. After the fans stood on their feet and applauded, Sabathia struck out Dustin Ackley and Miguel Olivo to end the inning.

The Yankees grabbed a 1-0 lead in the 4th when Curtis Granderson hit his 28th home run into the left field seats. It was the first home run that Granderson hit to the opposite field this season. An inning later the Yankees added some breathing room on consecutive singles by Nick Swisher, Jorge Posada, and Eric Chavez, who was activated from the DL prior to the game, and a ribbie ground out by Derek Jeter.

Another 18 minute rain delay impacted the game and Sabathia as he began the 8th by walking three straight hitters. Joe Girardi called on David Robertson, who struck out pinch-hitter Adam Kennedy and got Chone Figgins to hit a potential double play grounder to Chavez. But the third baseman booted the ball and could only get a force as the Mariners got on the board. Robertson then caught Ichiro looking to strand a pair of runners.

Mark Teixeira added an insurance run in the home half of the 8th with his 28th home run of the season before Mariano Rivera struck out two of three in the ninth for his 26th save.

Notes

The combined 18 strikeouts by Sabathia, Robertson, and Rivera tied the single game Yankees record held by Ron Guidry, who did it all by himself in 1978.

Brandon Laird was sent back to Scranton to make room for Chavez on the roster.

HOPE Week continued with the Yankees honoring Tuesday's Child, an organization that was originally started to help out children who lost parents in 9/11 as well as parents who lost older children on that horrible day.