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 I will say this...I miss Montero's bat. I have no doubt that if he had stayed,some of the runners we've seen stranded over the past few games would have been brought home. Perhaps in a couple of those games in Tampa,especially the first,it would have been a blowout. Perhaps there wouldn't have been extra innings in Baltimore. I also have no doubt he will stick it to us when he comes back.

 But at the of the day,while we do need a bat in the lineup,the old adage pitching wins championships still applies nine times out of ten. Look at the Texas Rangers. They were able to slug their way to the World Series only to fall flat the last two times. Why would that be? Because in 2010 they got shut down by a team that has little offense but a solid pitching staff. And last year,while Feliz blowing the save cost the Rangers the title in the end,the fact remains that the Rangers pitching staff allowed the Cardinals to play catch up that entire game 6.

 And the Yankee Dynasty. We didn't just have the offense,we had pitchers who could keep us in the game long enough for the offense to break through.

 I don't know how the trade will work out but at the end of the day,we needed pitching more than we needed a bat.

I will freely admit that if the trade had been made,it should have been for an established pitcher. But I knew that Montero's time as a Yankee was going to be short. His name had come up too often for it not to be.

Btw,last week Noesi managed to blow a five run lead and Montero was hitting .200 ANd if people don't like the pitching adage,too bad. It's been proven time and time again.

Apr 15, 2012 -- 8:43AM, qwik3457bb wrote:

Montero is going to be a big time hitter guys. It might not be this year, but it's going to happen.

The Yankees' side of the deal was always riskier. If Pineda becomes the pitcher his talent projects, things will work out fine.

I hope you're right. Even so, I still would have preferred watching our games with a youngish, dangerous hitting Montero in our oldish offensive lineup (who're batting in the .200s the way Montero was last week, ahem) than watching Pineda winning, what, fifteen games or so for us for the next five or so years--unless you think he's a Beckett type and can endure the travails of throwing hard (if he can).

As for Ninja's remark, yes, the FO had Montero aimed for a trade from the get-go, which was a dirty rotten shame besides stupid, imo. It's time for the Michaels and Connors to retire--their era has passed--supposing it wasn't Cashman's decision alone. As for Noesi, I think he can win HIS fifteen games for Seattle. Unlike Hughes so far, Noesi's showed HE can bounce back.

Maybe, from now on, we'll hold on to our good, young offensive players in the minors, and forget about the DH--should that be their best bet to make the major league team--as a slot to rest old men.

Girardi isn't the only one to favor defense over offense. Mike Napoli whom most certainly would have been the World Series MVP if the Rangers had won,was basically given his ticket out of town by Mike Scioscia,whom also favors favors defense over offense.