The Chicago Cubs are seemingly still in the market for a catcher after losing out on Russell Martin when he signed with the Toronto Blue Jays. While they look to trade for one, the New York Mets are looking to do the same with one of their starting pitchers.
Last night at the MLB Winter Meetings, Jon Morosi of FOX Sports reported the Cubs and Arizona Diamondbacks were discussing a trade that would send catcher Miguel Montero to Chicago in exchange for pitching prospects. Once Martin landed in Toronto it was speculated the Cubs would chase after Montero, which has apparently been the case for a few weeks now.
Although Montero is owed $40 million over the next three seasons and has batted just .237 over the past two years with 24 home runs and 114 RBIs, he remains one of the best defensive catchers in the game as well as a good clubhouse figure. The Cubs' young roster is in need of a veteran to lead the infield and they have the financial flexibility and prospects to acquire Montero. The acquisition of an experienced catcher might also help coax Jon Lester to sign with the team as he continues to choose between four teams.
Lester is expected to make a decision by Wednesday, and FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal says a deal for Montero is "getting closer," so if they can land the 31-year-old catcher perhaps Lester makes a last-minute change. Rosenthal reported yesterday that the left-hander was choosing between the Cubs and Giants, and being that San Francisco has three World Series wins in five years and Buster Posey behind the plate, the Cubs need to build their case as quickly as they can if Rosenthal's report is true.
Also on the trade market, the New York Mets are said to be "aggressively shopping" starting pitcher Dillon Gee, according to Adam Rubin of ESPN New York. With Matt Harvey returning in 2015, the team needs to make room for him in the starting rotation and the front office believes they can get the most in return for Gee. The Mets have already tried to trade Bartolo Colon, but that would apparently require eating some of his salary, which is something the team doesn't want to do. Left-hander Jonathon Niese is another trade option, but he's under club control through 2018 for a decent price.
This leaves Gee, who is a 28-year-old right-hander that was 7-8 with a 4.00 ERA and 1.25 WHIP in 22 starts last season. He had his best season in 2013 when he logged a 12-11 record with a 3.62 ERA and 1.28 WHIP in 32 starts. He's currently in his second year of arbitration eligibility and is due for a raise after earning $3.625 million in 2014. Rubin mentions the Kansas City Royals and Texas Rangers are teams said to be interested in a potential deal.
UPDATE: Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports the Cubs are "on the verge of acquiring" Montero for prospects and that the deal is expected by the end of the day.
UPDATE: The Cubs have acquired Montero and will take on the remainder of his contract in exchange for prospect pitchers Jeferson Mejia and Zack Godley, according to MLB.com's Steve Gilbert.
