Jesus Montero and David Adams are likely the main prospects headed to the Mariners in exchange for Cliff Lee. So who are they? A 20-year-old catcher who ranks among the game’s best prospects and a 23-year-old second baseman hitting well at AA.
Baseball America ranked Montero first among Yankees prospects before the season, citing his “hand-eye coordination, keen pitch recognition, knack for barreling balls and tremendous strength.” Montero has hit .253/.329/.408 in Triple A since placing fourth overall in Baseball America’s pre-season prospect rankings and 10th on Keith Law’s list.
BA placed Montero fifth among all MLB prospects in their recently-released mid-season rankings, but they say that Montero hasn’t improved this year and has convinced scouts that he won’t stay at catcher long-term. Scouts are still convinced that Montero can hit, so he may end up playing first base like former catchers Paul Konerko and Carlos Delgado.
Adams doesn’t have the same top prospect pedigree as Montero. He ranked 22nd among Yankees prospects before the season, according to Baseball America. Adams has gap power and a good arm, but doesn’t run particularly well or have great range. Baseball America suggested he could move to third base and that seems like a real possibility now, since the Mariners have top second base prospect Dustin Ackley.
So far in 2010, Adams has continued to hit well. He posted a .309/.393/.507 line in 173 plate appearances at AA Trenton.
It’s digusting.
The evil empire strike back.
Cliff Lee gets traded for marginal talent 4 times.
The Colon deal, Phils, Mariners and Indians get marginal prospects for him. Strange.
Yeah. it’s weird the yankees aren’t raping their farm system. Jack Z has given up on trading people now.
Haha, yeah Montero is a marginal talent??? Top 5 prospect in baseball with 80 power and great hit tools.
Who cares that he won’t stay at catcher. He’s a 30-40 home run guy.
We’ll see. He could be another over-hyped NY/Boston prospects that flame out in the Bigs. He isn’t hitting well in AAA although he is young. Adams looks like flat out junk.
What makes it marginal talent is the fact that he’s pretty much all they’re rumored to get. Lee should have been able to fetch a much larger package, especially when you compare him to someone like Casey Blake and the package the Indians received for him. I know financial constraints aided that package, but come on, Lee for Montero and Adams, that’s a huge win for the Yankees. For all we know, Montero and Adams may never pan out because history has shown no prospect is a sure thing.
Quality over quantity. I’d rather have Montero than either whole package Lee was traded for in the past year.
Montero’s done nothing and may never do anything…lots of can’t miss prospects do…one big one that jumps to mind and was a huge trade commodity is Andy Marte…a top prospect in 2004 and 2005 and a complete bust.
Still, some prospects do turn into stars, more don’t though.
Not a ton of guys who rake in Double-A at 19 flop.
OH WOW he can hit 40 homeruns. *throws cliff lee at yankees*
And? Why wouldn’t you trade a rental for a potential 40 home run hitter who’s not far from the majors?
Because I am trading one of the best pitchers in baseball for one good prospect? I mean that doesn’t really seem fair, but it’s yankees they don’t have the word fair in their dictionary.
You’re trading a couple of months of that pitcher. And it’s one great prospect. A better prospect than you would get with the draft picks or than you would get from any other team that wants the pitcher. It IS fair. If you want to cry about the Yankees, cry about their payroll or free agents. This trade isn’t unfair.
REALLY? THIS TRADE MAKES THEIR PAYROLL GO EVEN UP EVEN MORE. How is that fair if teams like The Pirates cannot seem to keep the players they have but the yankees can get the players their spoiled little minds want.
THAT’S A SEPARATE ARGUMENT. See? I can use caps too. Arguing that financial disparity is unfair and arguing that Seattle’s return in this trade is unfair are two entirely separate things. If you think it’s unfair that the Yankees can afford Lee, fine. But Seattle made a good trade.
The Pirates have money… maybe not as much as the Yankees or Red Sox or other high end teams but they are far from the red. Through revenue sharing these lower end teams have had more money than in the past, whether they want to spend it is another story. It seems as though lower end teams are willing to settle for losing seasons and take the revenue as profit.
He is not a 40 HR guy lol.
How can you say that, most indications are he will be a 30-40 HR hitter. Have you ever even see him play?
These aren’t marginal prospects. Montero is one of the best in all baseball.
On what planet is Montero a marginal talent? He’s one of the ten best prospects left in the minors according to both Kevin Goldstein and Keith Law. He’s better than anything Lee has been traded for in the past year.
“So who are they?”
A terrible return for the Mariners, that’s who. Adams is useless to them, especially as a right-handed, no power 2B/3B in Safeco. Montero won’t be a catcher past age 25. The third prospect they get better be something special, because otherwise they’re trading Lee for a 20-year-old soon-to-be first baseman and pretty much nothing else.
Awful for Zduriencik (in comparison to other rumored packages), and honestly, with the Yankees already in such good position, it doesn’t make much sense for Cashman either. Sure it improves the team, but at a pretty pricey cost (Montero). Even if Montero doesn’t have a long-term place in the Bronx, a young bat that’s that highly-regarded should really net more than a rental.
how can you say its a terrible return for the mariners in one paragraph and then in the next call the yankees out for trading away Montero (“a pretty pricey cost”?)
If Montero is an elite hitter, which everyone expects him to be, who cares if he’s not a catcher?
Seems a bit duplicitious. You can’t castigate the Mariners on the one hand for getting Montero and the Yankees on the other hand for giving him up. Yankee Stadium might be a better place for him to hit than Safeco Field, but a good hitter is a good hitter.
Adams seems like a good fit. He’s not going to be a star, but honestly, Jose Lopez is on his way out and if we can get even an average 3B for league minimum, he’ll help.
But I agree, the third prospect will tilt the deal one way or the other. Either way, I think it’s clearly better than what the Mariners gave up to get Lee in the first place.
I think they are looking at Adams to be an Edgar Martinez type of hitter, relying more on his ability to hit doubles than HRs.
Let’s not get silly.
Gap power, yes. Let’s not get carried away with comparisons to Mariners legends. :)
No, I agree! I’m just saying, he isn’t a HR hitter, but still has power. I’d be shocked if he did turn out to be Garr.
Way Way Way better haha. We gave up like a top 60 prospect and are getting a top ten
Sounds like a mad Minnesota fan
Adams stats this year aren’t park inflated either. His adjusted stats (where 100 is league average) are BA-107, OPB-110, SLG-1144 and OPS-112.
mlbscoutbuzz.com/node/61
they should include huffman in this trade
Whatever. Its the Yankees, what do you expect.
Ok, to everyone who thinks the Yanks are giving up practically nothing for Lee…They would get Lee in 3 months during the off season anyway, so for 3 months of Lee the Mariners are getting one of the best hitting prospects in baseball, probably THE BEST one that is left in the minors.
Oh yeah, not to mention that the M’s will have Montero locked up for the next 6 years I believe
“the best”? I believe Domonic Brown has that title.
Ok then, top 2, but I would even give Montero the edge because he is 2 years younger
Maybe, maybe not. Latin American players’ DOB are always suspect.
Not Venezuelans. Their ages have never been problematic in MLB.
Purely as a hitter, Montero is probably better.
Are you sniffing glue?
Nope.
Montero and Brown are both playing in the International League. Have you compared their #’s?
Have you compared their ages and track records? Age relative to league is one of the best predictors of stardom.
it’s ok aap212, abraham thinks Montero is 30 because every latin player lies about their age
You can’t compare the two. Brown has been in the IL for 55 AB. 55!!!
Montero is nowhere near the “Best” at anything. Trout, Brown are way better hitters.
As a pure hitter, Montero might be better, and he’s much closer to the majors than Trout.
Let’s wait for Trout to do something outside of A ball before we call him way better.
I can’t understand the rankings given to Montero. After all, he has an enormous amount of passed balls in AAA for 2010, as he also did in 2008 and 2009 in AA. Furthermore, he’s not above average against the running game (22% CS). Clearly, the kid can hit for average, gets on base enough and displays some power. But if you’re demanding a catcher, he doesn’t seem to be the gift you’d want. I would think that, putting subjective rankings aside, Wilson Ramos is qualitatively a much better prospect. Ramos is both a good hitter and an excellent defensive catcher. I guess we’ll have to wait and see what comes with Montero before we can judge it. Adams is a strong prospect, despite subjective rankings, but has not gotten past AA yet.
I might have to slap you if you are saying that Ramos is a better prospect than Montero (but I won’t because you are clearly only marking Montero down for defensive skills at catcher). Montero is not going to stick to Catcher more than likely, he will be moved to first base. Mariners already have Adam Moore who is not a great catching prospect but a decent to solid one none the less.
Agree completely. Ramos doesn’t even belong on the field with Montero. Montero as a first baseman is STILL a better prospect than almost anybody left in the minors. He has Miggy or Frank Thomas type talent.
Plus, Jack Z is basically helping the Yankees protect their own picks. If and when they extend him, they won’t have to give up the first rounder they would’ve in free agency.
That alone should have more value, and yet all Zduriencik can extract is Montero plus trash. He could’ve done far better in this deal from a number of teams. If Montero busts, they’ve given Lee for nothing… definitely should’ve gotten back more than one quality piece.
Sounds like sour grapes from the Twins fans that thought giving up Ramos and Hicks would be the biggest mistake ever. As an M’s fan, I like this package better…Ramos is probably not much of an upgrade over Adam Moore (who was also a top 100 prospect before the season) and Hicks is a long way from the majors and much less projectable at this point than Montero. Hicks is older than Montero and is in A+ while Montero is in AAA. Montero may move to 1B but if you haven’t noticed that is a HUGE area of need for the M’s. I would have rather had Smoak or Ike Davis but there is no evidence that these guys were ever on the table (nor should they have been). So I’ll take the 20 year old in AAA with 40 HR power over what the Twins were offering.
I’d much rather have Montero than Davis, and I say that as a Mets fan.
and if they didn’t trade Lee then they would have lost him to the Yankees in free agency and gotten MAYBE two pre-second round long shot prospects in the draft, and maybe even just a compensation pick alone depending on who else the yankees have signed. Lee had no more business being in seattle as seattle has no chance of getting to the play offs and 3 months of Lee is worth WAY WAY WAY less than 3 years of Lee
As a Type A, it would’ve been impossible for the M’s to receive just a compensation pick, they were guaranteed 2 picks, one of which is in the compensation round, the other would depend on how FA unfolded.
With the compensation picks, you wouldn’t expect to get a prospect as good as Montero.
I am very disappointed as a Mariners fan… Z gave up, because Cliff Lee talked to the local sports station yesterday, and didn’t sound interested in sticking around… Cliff Lee in a Yankees uniform at the All Star Game… What a shame… Horrible day in Seattle…
You’ll be happy when Montero is your all-star first baseman in three or four years.
Agreed…. Years of chasing 1995 has made me grumpy…. Cliff Lee is a class act, and I’ve enjoyed watching him pitch in a Mariners uniform..
:)
You’re really disappointed that you’re getting one of the best, if not the best, hitting prospect still in the minors, that is 20 years old, and will probably be contributing next season.
I am willing to bet that montero will be a bust.
I am willing to bet against you.
I want in on that bet.
Me three
me 5
me four
yeah, um, i’m just gonna go ahead and scream “conspiracy!”
Wow… The Yankees won BIG TIME in this trade! I mean come on… They got one of the best pitchers in the game. If they sign an extension with him, he could retire a Yankee! And who did they give up? A Triple-A affiliate who is hitting .253, alright power, and a good arm. Ok. There must be more! NOT MUCH! A Double-A star, who can’t hold himself in Triple-A. Really?
In conclusion, Yankees got a steal here. Even though the Mariners need a catcher, doesn’t mean you settle for this little. Bad trade for Mariners, AMAZING trade for Yankees.
He’s 20. Let’s not get carried away on the stats of a guy with incredible tools who should be a sophomore or junior in college. How many 20 year olds are killing AAA?
If batting .253 with 7 homeruns is “killing it” in AAA, then A LOT of people are “killing it”. Sure he is 20 years old, but look at Cubs SS Starlin Castro. He is what? 19? Now HE is would be a nice addition to this trade, unlike Montero.
As for the trade that ended up happening, the Rangers won. Smoak is good, but he has a long way to go until he is worth to be named the “winning key” in the deal. He has good power to both sides of the field. His average though… OUCH.
Rangers won this trade.
The team that needs Lee less than any other team gets him… just because they can. an embarassment to an oh-so-broken game.
I would not say that they do not need him, rather they are scared shitless to have to face Lee in the play offs on another team
Yeah, baseball needs a salary cap like basketball so that all of the stars can’t go to one team. Oh wait…
Montero is not a catcher. He is a DH/1B. The Yankees have tried to make him a catcher, but it’s not going to work out. He is the #5 prospect in baseball at the midway point and was #4 at the beginning of the year. He is also a 20 year old playing in AAA. If any of you have actually seen him play, you will know that he is a special talent. The Yankees traded their #1 prospect last year (Austin Jackson) and he has gone on to be a fine major league player in his first year.
I think this is a good trade for the Mariners. Lee wasn’t going to resign there and they are out of it. No other team is offering a prospect with this type of ceiling and Montero is better than whatever draft pick compensation they would have received. Seattle can back out and take Wilson Ramos and Aaron Hicks, but neither have the potential of Montero. They could also back out and try for Alonso (Reds) or Smoak (Rangers), but I still like Montero better than those guys.
+ 1
i wanted SMOAK…what a fail
I doubt Smoak was really available. Montero is around the same level of prospect and is blocked, so he was an option, while Smoak is too integral to the Rangers’ plans.
i wanted SMOAK…what a fail
So how do the other yankees catching prospects compare to Montero? And I’m torn about him not going to the Twins. On the one hand, it gives my Tigers a better chance this season, but on the other hand I’m pretty sure the Twins will take the division anyway, and I like the idea of them giving up top prospects for a rental.
Montero almost certainly isn’t a catcher long term (like Carlos Delgado, as Goldstein put it). Romine isn’t nearly the bat, but has a pretty solid chance of being a catcher. Gary Sanchez is only 17 and probably not a catcher in the end, but way too early to know or care.
Well, there’s no doubt now. Jack Z agrees with me; he does not value Montero that highly. He went for the all-around complete baseball player in Justin Smoak. Montero, IMHO, has been highly overrated by BA and Keith Law.