The Chicago Cubs are in need of a catcher after Russell Martin was snatched away by the Toronto Blue Jays. Could they execute a trade during the offseason? Limited options remain, but based on the Cubs' pursuit of Martin, their interest in a veteran catcher is real.
Once the bidding for Martin got out of hand, the Cubs backed out and the veteran catcher signed with Toronto for five years and $82 million. Chicago's young core needs some leadership on the field. They have manager Joe Maddon in the dugout, but the team has a need at the catcher position, which is a great spot for a veteran player. However, the Cubs need to save the big bucks for one of the premier free-agent starting pitchers.
With a surplus of young talent it wouldn't be a bad idea if team president Theo Epstein and general manager Jed Hoyer worked out a trade for a catcher. Two possible options include Miguel Montero of the Arizona Diamondbacks or Carlos Ruiz of the Philadelphia Phillies. ESPN's Buster Olney tweeted earlier today that Montero could potentially be an option since he has three years and $40 million remaining on his contract while the Diamondbacks are looking to spend that money elsewhere. After all, Arizona acquired catcher Peter O'Brien from the Yankees when they shipped Martin Prado to the Bronx before this year's trade deadline. The 24-year-old O'Brien slashed .271/.316/.594 with 34 home runs and 74 RBIs in the minors this season and is expected to make his debut at some point in 2015.
The D-Backs have talked about trading Montero because of his large salary and declining performance over the past two seasons (.237 average with 24 home runs and 114 RBIs). He's owed $12 million in 2015 and then $14 million in 2016 and 2017 when he turns 33 years old, which is much less of a commitment than taking on the 31-year-old Martin (who will be 32 in February) for $16.4 million per year over the next five seasons. Montero's performance as of late could be a result of the D-Backs falling off in the NL West - after a 94-68 campaign in 2011 the team went 81-81 in 2012 and 2013 before compiling an MLB-worst 64-98 in 2014.
If Montero's salary is deemed too much of a burden for the Cub's front office then they could explore a trade for Philadelphia Phillies' Carlos Ruiz. The veteran catcher will be 36 years old next season, but has only an $8.5 million salary for the next two seasons and a $4.5 million team option in 2017. He's a great defensive catcher on a rebuilding Phillies team and general manager Ruben Amaro might be willing to part ways with him if offered a decent return.
Ruiz has a career fielding percentage of .995 and has a good stat line of .271/.357/.406. He's caught for some well-known pitchers such as Cole Hamels, Cliff Lee, Roy Halladay, Jonathan Papelbon and others. He'd be a good fit for the Cubs, especially if the team manages to acquire a marquee starting pitcher in free agency.
