BOSTON –– After a quiet offseason, the Yankees snatched headlines Friday with two notable moves, signing pitcher Hiroki Kuroda and trading prized prospect Jesus Montero to the Mariners for pitcher Michael Pineda.
As the news marinated in Boston, Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine didn't flinch when asked about New York's new acquisitions.
"I'm not sure. You know, when I saw Pineda in the first half [of the 2011 season], he looked unhittable," Valentine said. "In the second half, he looked OK. Kuroda is a good pitcher — a year older than he was last year and pitching in the American League, not the National League. He's pitching in not a great pitcher's ballpark.
"They probably upgraded from [Bartolo] Colon and [Freddy] Garcia. Probably, I don't know. It seems it."
Jarrod Saltalamacchia, who was also at the Jimmy Fund charity event Saturday, found a positive angle for the Red Sox in the Seattle swap.
"We don't have to face Montero anymore, especially in that ballpark," Saltalamacchia said. "I never thought we needed to do anything and make a splash. Anytime you have [Clay] Buchholz, [Josh] Beckett and [Jon] Lester, you don't have too much to worry about."
It remains to be seen whether the Red Sox will counter. With Roy Oswalt, Edwin Jackson and Joe Saunders on the market, Boston still has opportunities to shore up the starting rotation with a veteran.
Despite the Yankees' marquee moves on Friday, Valentine assured reporters there wasn't any urgency to match them. Although the Red Sox skipper said there's never enough pitching, he maintained satisfaction with his group.
"I think we have a good team," Valentine said. "If we can continue to add to it as the season progresses –– when we see what the needs are and the strengths and weaknesses –– I think we'll be fine. When you have a core like we have, when it's healthy there's no rush to do anything."
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