Losers?
Read any column judging the winners and losers from the trade deadline and the Yankees will be listed as losers. The popular sentiment is that by failing to do anything at the deadline the Yankees made a huge mistake. I will agree with that opinion if the Yankees fail to use the prospects they kept. But, if they bring some of them up to the majors, the deadline will be anything but a bust.
Start with Jesus Montero. He put up a line of ..271/.346/.514 in July and could be the perfect answer to the Yankees problems at DH or catcher. Russell Martin put up a line of .213/308/.263 in July which sadly was an improvement over his .185/.274/.241 June. Jorge Posada put up a line of .217/.284/.250 in July. Francisco Cervelli has a line of .235/.305/.306 in 2011. The Yankees are almost certainly going to add Montero when the rosters expand, but why wait? Promoting him now makes sense for the current club and the future- it will settle allows Austin Romine to catch at the AAA level.
Next look at Manny Banuelos, on his way to AAA. He is walking too many batters, but his overall numbers are still good. And, he has a 1.24 ERA and 32 K's against lefties. The Yankees have been very, very careful with his innings this year since he only threw 64 last year and his career high is only 109. He has thrown 95 so far this season in 20 starts and you I would expect him to finish the season out of the bullpen to keep his innings down further. If the Yankees want a second lefty in the pen, this is the guy.
And don't forget about guys like Phelps, Warren and Whelan. The Yankees have made the decision to seek help from within. Thankfully, they have a deep pool of talent to choose from.
Comments
It can sometimes be amazing over the course of a season how impressions change.
Remember early how the Yankees had such a huge edge at catcher with Martin and Posada vs. Varitek and Salty.
Baseball is fun that way, and frustrating.
I would like to see Montero for nothing more than to see what the hype is about. I agree, pull him and others up, if they contribute then the Yankees did the right thing.
Posted by: blmeanie![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://yankeesredsox.com/nav-commenters.gif)
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August 1, 2011 09:31 PM
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BL
I will always think of last July when I was killed on this page for supporting the Yankees' efforts to get Cliff Lee.
162 games is a great equalizer. "Fun and Frustrating" is a good way to think of it.
If you had told me in March that the Yankees would have set their rotation to pitch Colon, Garcia and CC against Boston in August, I would have laughed at you.
Posted by: Peter![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://yankeesredsox.com/nav-commenters.gif)
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August 1, 2011 10:37 PM
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While it would be interesting to see Montero as backup catcher, I see no problem at all with Martin. This guy handles the pitching staff brilliantly and plays great defense. That's more important than offense.
And as a hitter, he has gotten some timely hits, has power, and has speed.
Remember when Torre played Girardi over Posada? Well I think Martin is better than Girardi both defensively and offensively.
I think Martin should get a 4 year deal out of the Yankees.
Posted by: Corey | August 2, 2011 10:09 AM |