Everyone knew that the Yankees were going to trade top catching prospect Jesus Montero. But no one knew it would simply be a one for one swap.

Brian Cashman took a gamble in trading the mighty Montero for Michael Pineda, a good pitching prospect, but one who has yet to prove himself as Major League ready.

As a Mets fan, by nature it is hard for me to say anything positive about the Yankees, and I laughed when I first heard about this trade, thinking, “Wow, Cashman is a fool.” But after looking further into it, this may have been the move of the decade for the Yankees.

With a starting rotation that was less than stellar in the last few seasons, the Yankees have been looking to get younger with regards to starting pitching, as they have been letting Ivan Nova pitch more than expected. The Yankees kept this train of thought by trading for Pineda, the 6’8 290 pound right hander from the Mariners that makes CC Sabathia look like Steve Urkel.

The question is, who will have a bigger impact in 2012, Pineda on the mound for the Yankees? Or Montero at the dish for the Mariners? Montero showed massive power in his short stint with the Yankees, making the short porch in right field his friend rather quickly. It was a tough call to trade Montero at all due to his strong swing, but most fans knew it had to happen in order for the Yankees to upgrade their rotation (not to mention dumping AJ Burnett off on the Pirates).

The Yankees also are not lacking in the power department. With big bats like Mark Teixeira, Robinson Cano, and Alex Rodriguez holding down the heart of the order and Curtis Granderson providing a spark no matter where he is placed in the lineup, Brian Cashman felt that Montero was worth giving up for a good pitching prospect, and they got a good one.

Pineda has been clocked in the high 90’s, even topping 100 mph on his fastball several times. Many scouts say he has the potential to make an immediate impact this season for New York, and could even end up being the team’s number one starter by season’s end. CC Sabathia might have something to say about that, of course, but the fact that Pineda has a similar build and a very live fastball could create one of the best 1-2 pitching punches in the American League. With new free agent Hiroki Kuroda, Ivan Nova, and either Phil Hughes or Freddy Garcia behind them in the rotation, the Yankees pitching staff could be poised to help the Bronx Bombers to the World Series for the first time since 2009, when they defeated the Philadelphia Phillies for their 27th championship.

Overall, Pineda appears to be the real deal. Trading proven hitting talent for pitching is always a gamble, as pitching is never a sure thing in this day and age, but the Yankees appear to have reeled in an ace.

One of the compelling storylines of the Yankees’ season took place here at Camden Yards, where Mark Teixeira stepped onto the field wearing a Yankees uniform and felt the full wrath of his native Maryland.
Teixeira grinned and dared the Orioles fans to let him hear it, confident that their raining boos would not interrupt his concentration. But to Teixeira, that wasn’t the big moment of the year.

It was also here, on May 8, that the Yankees took their first steps toward being a dominant club, welcoming Alex Rodriguez back into the lineup. Finally, the Bronx Bombers were whole again.
“I really felt great about this team in Spring Training. I knew we had a tough first month, I had a tough first month,” Teixeira said.
“You might look at the series here in Baltimore when Alex came back as one of the turning points of the season. He hits a home run his very first swing of the season. It put some life into our team, and we’ve been rolling ever since.”

Click here to read the full article – By Bryan Hoch of MLB.com

New York Yankees Sports Memorabilia
and other New York Yankees Gifts and Collectibles
Below are links to memorabilia available for Mark Teixeira.

Mark Teixeira shrugged it off when a fifth-inning fastball grazed his right shoulder on Wednesday at Tropicana Field, thinking it nothing more than an errant offering from Rays right-hander Matt Garza.

But Garza revealed it was more than that to reporters after the Yankees’ 6-2 victory, saying that he had intentionally thrown at Teixeira as retaliation for a Joba Chamberlain fastball that sailed over Evan Longoria’s head in the fourth inning

Click here to read the full article – By Bryan Hoch of MLB.com

New York Yankees Sports Memorabilia
and other New York Yankees Gifts and Collectibles
Below are links to collectibles and apparel available for Mark Teixeira.