sportsjabber.net

The Yankees have held on to Jesus Montero through every offseason and trade deadline. No matter what star player was dangled in their faces, they kept the young catcher (but soon-to-be first baseman or DH, according to most reports) close. Considering the age of the Yankees’ lineup and their desire to get under the luxury tax at some point, you could understand why.

But they almost dealt Montero once. They actually thought they did, believing that a deal to send him to the Mariners for Cliff Lee was imminent. At the last second, the Mariners decided they liked Justin Smoak better, and pulled out of the deal. Now the Mariners have both, sending 22-year-old wunderkind Michael Pineda over for the offense they desperately need. From the official MLB.com Twitter feed:

http://mlb.sbnation.com/2012/1/13/2706090/yankees-mariners-trade-jesus-montero-michael-pineda