Jesus Montero’s Success Could Lead To a Yankees Trade for Felix Hernandez
September 7, 2011 · Michael Moraitis · Jump to comments
Article Source: Bleacher Report - New York Yankees
Jesus Montero has already burst onto the scene for the New York Yankees, hitting two homers against the Baltimore Orioles in the Bombers’ 11-10 win on Labor Day. With Montero’s arrival already making noise, one may wonder: If Montero is the real deal, can the Yankees work out a trade for King Felix?
I know, I know—the Mariners have said they won’t trade Hernandez. But let’s debate this, shall we?
The Yankees have two of the most highly-touted prospects in the MLB. Montero combined with Eduardo Nunez could be put together to make a nice package for the Bombers to swing a trade. Certainly the two of them would not be enough for a deal involving Hernandez, but if you threw Ivan Nova in the deal, it might be a reality.
So, why would the Mariners take that deal?
They would be getting three of the best young prospects in baseball. That is, of course, if Montero is everything he has been built up to be. Nunez has work to do on his fielding, but with his speed and his bat, he looks like a sure-fire solid player and possible superstar for years to come. Ivan Nova, in his rookie season, is 15-4 and could quite possibly be the AL Rookie of the Year. There is a ton of upside here with all three of these guys.
On top of that, Hernandez’s contract will get a huge boost in 2012. He will be making $18.5 million next year, as compared to the $10 million he is making this year. With little hope of this franchise getting better anytime soon, the Mariners may not want to pay King Felix that much if they won’t be winning anyway.
Besides, King Felix is a competitor, and competitors don’t like to lose. How much longer will Hernandez accept being on a losing team? Not too much longer, I’m sure.
Now, why would the Yankees want to give up three of their best young players?
Felix Hernandez is a no-doubt-about-it superstar in this league. He already has CY Young credentials and is one of the best pitchers in baseball. You don’t get an opportunity to get a starter like him very often and you can easily make the case, when looking at each of their numbers, that he is even better than C.C. Sabathia.
Not to mention, Hernandez has been on some of the worst teams in baseball his entire career. Put him on the Yankees with some run support and Hernandez would win 20 games per year with no problem. That’s quite the one-two punch at the top of a rotation.
Hernandez still has a ton of upside himself. He could be a fixture in the rotation for the next 10 years considering he is only 25 years old. It’s not like you’re taking a chance on some old man with a bad back (I’m not talking to you, Randy Johnson).
Now, this is not to say that this trade will surely happen. The Mariners have been reluctant to trade Hernandez and King Felix himself has said he doesn’t want to be traded.
Who even knows if Nova, Montero and Nunez will be enough to make the deal? Regardless of if they are or not, the Yankees could always throw some other top prospects at the trade to make it happen.
It’s an interesting discussion to say the least, but with the successes of Nunez, Nova and Montero, the Yankees are getting closer to having what it takes to acquire one of the best pitchers in baseball.
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