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While the baseball world continues to mourn the tragic death of Jesús Montero following a motorcycle accident, the incident has resurfaced the depths to which Yankees general manager Brian Cashman believed in the former top prospect.
Cashman called Montero “the best player I’ve traded” after completing a deal that sent him and a pitcher to Seattle as part of a package to bring in Michael Pineda.
While Cashman had made a number of notable trades during his career, at the time, the Yankees GM felt Montero had been one of the biggest names he had moved.
“He may very well be the best player I’ve traded,” Cashman told reporters in January 2012. “He’s that good. He’s a middle-of-the-lineup type bat.”
At the time of the trade, Montero expressed “shock” over the move.
“I thought that was never going to happen, but it happened for real,” he said at the time. “I’m really happy over here. It’s a new opportunity. I’ve got to take advantage of it.”
Montero died on Sunday after he was involved in an accident earlier this month in Venezuela and was put into an induced coma due to his injuries.
His major league career ended up being one of potential that never became reality.
In his lone season with the Yankees in 2011, Montero joined the team as a call-up in September and appeared in 18 games.
He hit four home runs and had a .328 batting average, before making one appearance in the American League Division Series against the Tigers, where he went 2-for-2.
He was traded in January 2012 and never quite developed into the player he was expected to be in Seattle the following season.
Montero dealt with injury issues and was suspended for 50 games after being implicated in the Biogenesis scandal and dealt with concerns over his weight in 2015.
