jesus montero

jesus montero

With flight reports that Mariners are about to trade Cliff Lee for the Yankees, jump, two questions surface.It would be just a change of uniforms Lee tonight and start against the Mariners, as was already scheduled to play tonight against the Yankees, Phil Hughes at Safeco Field?Jesus Montero, the top prospect in the Yankees' minor-league system, is the big chip being dangled by the Yankees in a potential trade for Cliff Lee.

(Getty Images file photo)And more importantly in the long run for the Mariners, who exactly is Jesus Montero, the 20-year-old prospect expected to come to Seattle in return for Lee?
While there likely will be more than one prospect in a deal -- several reports say second baseman David Adams and right-hander Zach McAllister will be included -- Montero is the legitimate, big-time prospect who would be the key to making any deal happen with the Yankees.For a team crying out for big-time power, it's not hard to understand why the M's would jump at Montero.

He's a big 6-foot-4, 225-pound catcher, though some feel he'll ultimately wind up as a first baseman.For the Mariners, what matters most is the big bat and whether Montero is as good as projected by Baseball America, which rated him the fourth-best prospect in baseball coming into this season behind the impressive threesome of Jason Heyward, Steven Strasburg and Mike Stanton. all making big-league waves already.aMontero isn't there yet.He's currently in Triple-A ball this season and still adjusting to that level, hitting .

cliff lee

cliff lee

All together, Cliff Lee seemed destined to go to the Yankees. Lee, the All-Star left, is eligible for free agency after this season and the Yankees 'budget' deep would give them a big advantage in signing him. But Lee, it turns out, can join the Yankees very soon.The Yankees and the Mariners have made progress toward a Lee trade, according to an official involved in the talks, who added that the final decision is now up to the Mariners. The official was granted anonymity because the deal has not been completed. Joel Sherman of the New York Post broke the story, reporting that the Yankees’ trade package would include catcher Jesus Montero and infielder David Adams.

Lee is scheduled to pitch against the Yankees at Safeco Field on Friday night, so a deal could be finalized quickly. Lee would give the Yankees four All-Stars in their starting rotation, joining C.C. Sabathia, Andy Pettitte and Phil Hughes. It would also free the Yankees to trade another starter – presumably Javier Vazquez – for offense or bullpen help before the July 31 nonwaiver trading deadline. Lee, who won the 2008 A.L. Cy Young Award for Cleveland, beat the Yankees twice in the 2009 World Series, when he pitched for Philadelphia, and also won the first game at the new Yankee Stadium last season. He is 8-3 with a 2.34 earned run average this season, with 89 strikeouts and just six walks.