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.” 3

At the time of the trade, Montero expressed “shock” over the move.

“I thought

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