Weekend Roster Moves

It's the time of year when teams pare the rosters in preparation for opening day. After four seasons when he fell shy of expectations, served a PED suspension, put on excess weight and noticeably regressed, the Mariners cut Jesus Montero. Remember when he made a splashy September callup to the Bronx in 2011?  He hit over. 300, took over as the Yanks' DH and appeared ready to become the next big thing in New York. But it wasn't meant to be. That winter, he was swapped to Seattle for Michael Pineda. Let's just say things never seemed as bright again as they did on September 19th, 2011 when I snapped these images -- as well as the one below.
Montero didn't make the Mariners -- and (below) Chris Parmelee opted out of a minor league deal/camp invite with the Yankees. On that September afternoon in 2011, when Montero's star was rising, Parmelee was also a rookie. And he actually secured a place in history -- he was the final out as Mariano Rivera nailed down his record setting 602nd career save. And like Montero, stardom eluded him. This spring, he tried to make the Yankees as an extra outfielder. Sensing he wasn't going to crack the final 25, he opted out on Saturday, hoping to catch on elsewhere.
Ironic isn't it: two rookies, breaking in at the same time, seen in the same game, both seeing the major league dream slipping away within hours of each other

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