Jess Montero dies: Former Yankees, Mariners slugger was 35

Former MLB outfielder Jess Montero, who was once hailed by New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman as “the best player I ever traded,” died Sunday of injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident earlier this month. He was 35 years old.

The Venezuelan Professional Baseball League reported Montero’s passing on social media, calling the power-hitting catcher, designated hitter and first baseman “a powerful bat, an unforgettable presence, a heart that loves the game.”

“Thank you for every at-bat, every home run, every day you proudly defend our colors,” the league wrote on Instagram in Spanish. “Rest in peace, Jesus, your legacy lives on in every lover who celebrates with you.”

In addition to six seasons with the Venezuelan League, Montero played five major league seasons, one with the Yankees and four with the Seattle Mariners. Both teams, as well as MLB, mourned Montero with posts on the X.

Born in Guacarra, Venezuela, Montero was 16 years old when he was signed by the Yankees as an international free agent in 2006. He worked his way through the minor leagues, appeared in the All-Star Futures Game twice, and made his MLB debut late in the 2011 season. In 61 at-bats in 18 games in September, Montero had a .328 batting average and .996 OPS with four home runs and 12 RBIs.

During that offseason, Montero was traded to Seattle as part of a blockbuster package deal that sent pitcher Michael Pieda to New York.

“He might be the best player I’ve ever traded,” Cashman told reporters at the time. “He’s very good. He’s a middle-order bat.”

Montero played 208 games for the Mariners, hitting 24 home runs with 92 RBIs. His time with the organization was marred by his 2013 bout with his weight and a 50-game performance-enhancing drug ban, as he was among several players disciplined by MLB for their ties to US Biogenesis.

In 2016, Montero played in the Toronto Blue Jays minor league system and received an additional 50 game suspension following the season after testing positive for the banned stimulant dimethylbutylamine. He played part of the 2017 season in the Baltimore Orioles minor league system, then spent several more years playing baseball in Mexico and Venezuela before retiring in 2021.

According to reports, Montero crashed his motorcycle with a truck on October 4 and has been hospitalized ever since. He did not recover from multiple injuries, officials said.

Tanith Gimenez — Montero’s ex-wife and mother of their two children, Lauren and Jess — has posted several tributes to her ex-husband on his Instagram story since his death.

“May the Lord receive you in His glory,” she wrote in a post in Spanish. “Thank you for giving me the greatest gift, my children.”

She added in another, also in Spanish: “I keep the good times tattooed on my soul.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.