Did the Seattle Mariners really lose the Jesus Montero for Michael Pineda trade?

In 2012, the Seattle Mariners traded Michael Pineda for Jesus Montero. Who really won the trade?

Most Seattle Mariners fans immediately consider the trade a major loss, but it is not as obvious as you may think. The Yankees received Michael Pineda and Jose Campos (now known as Vicente Campos), while the Mariners acquired Jesus Montero and Hector Noesi. Here is what the teams knew about the players at the time of the trade:

Jesus Montero

He was one of the Yankees’ top prospects and was 21-years-old at the time of the trade. Montero was called up late into the 2011 season for his MLB debut and played 18 games. He posted a .328 average,163 OPS+, 4 home runs, 12 RBIs, and a 0.6 WAR.

Montero had solid Triple-A Stats as well. In 2011, he posted a .288 average with a .814 OPS. And in the previous season in Triple-A, he batted .289 and a .870 OPS.

Hector Noesi

Noesi was a 24-year-old pitcher who threw in 30 games during the 2011 MLB season. He posted a 4.47 ERA and struck out 45 batters.

Michael Pineda

He was one of the brightest young Mariners stars and was selected as an All-Star in 2011. Pineda also finished 5th in ROY voting when he posted a 3.74 ERA and struck out 173 batters in 171 innings.

In 2010, he spent time in Double-A and Triple-A where he threw 139.1 innings while posting a 3.36 ERA.

Jose Campos

Campos was a solid prospect as well where he threw 81.1 innings in Single-A. He posted a 2.32 ERA and struck out 85 batters. In 2010 where he was in rookie ball, he pitched 57 innings posting a 3.16 ERA.

Now let’s look at why the trade made sense, and why the teams did what they did.