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Analysis And Background Of The Montero/Pineda Deal

It's not every day that two of baseball's best young stars are swapped for each other, but the Mariners and Yankees pulled off just such a deal today, as Jesus Montero and Hector Noesi went to Seattle in exchange for Michael Pineda and Jose Campos.  Here is some of the early reaction to this stunning trade, plus some information on how the deal came together...

• "The risk for both clubs is low. The reward for both clubs is outstanding. This could be a transformational deal that will have fans of both clubs buzzing about for a long time," writes MLB.com's Bernie Pleskoff.
• Replacing pitching via minor leaguers or the free agent market is far easier than attracting top-caliber hitters in Seattle, notes MLB.com's Greg Johns.
• Mike Salk of ESPN 710 Radio in Seattle outlines the reasons why he "loves" the deal for the Mariners.  Also from Salk (on Twitter), he hears from "a non-M's baseball guy" who believes Noesi is a better long-term option than Pineda.
• The trade makes the Yankees the favorites in the AL East, writes Scott Miller of CBSSports.com.  Miller talks to two scouts who rave about the Yankees' sudden surplus of young pitching that also includes Dellin Betances and Manny Banuelos.
• Dave Cameron of the U.S.S. Mariner blog sees Montero as developing into a Carlos Lee-type of hitter who is productive but not quite a superstar.  Cameron thinks the deal will look better for the Mariners if they were to sign a free agent starter like Roy Oswalt or Edwin Jackson, since then the team would have Montero's bat plus a pitcher that could match Pineda's production.
• Yankees GM Brian Cashman feels he took a "huge risk" with the trade, reports The Record's Bob Klapisch (via Twitter).  "I gave up a ton (for Pineda)," Cashman said.  "To me, Montero is Mike Piazza. He's Miguel Cabrera."
• "Some execs from other AL East teams believe Yankees just made an incredible trade," tweets ESPN's Buster Olney.
• The two teams were "talking for weeks" about the deal, reports Joel Sherman of the New York Post (Twitter link).  Each side told the other that they had limited funds to address their needs.
• The Yankees initially tried to acquire Felix Hernandez from the Mariners, reports Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (via Twitter) and were willing to offer a package that included Montero, Betances, Banuelos and more.

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