Theo Epstein said on Monday that there was pressure on his Chicago Cubs to fortify the team this month before the trade deadline passed, and he acted accordingly.
The Cubs made a trade with the Kansas City Royals on Monday night to acquire catcher Martin Maldonado for pitcher Mike Montgomery.
Maldonado had been removed from the Royals’ game, indicating a deal was likely in the works, which proved to be the case. The 32-year-old is batting .224 this season, which is in line with his career .220 average. He is viewed as one of the better defensive catchers in the game and won the Gold Glove in 2017.
The Cubs have an All-Star catcher in Willson Contreras, but he has been dealing with a sore foot. Maldonado and Victor Caratini will probably split at the position until Contreras is recovered.
Montgomery has been a disappointment working in a relief role and has a 5.67 ERA this season. Perhaps the Royals are figuring a return to starting may get him back closer to his career 4.21 ERA.
Here is Epstein’s comment earlier in the day about building up depth:
Theo Epstein, on the one trade deadline this year: “You have to anticipate where you might be vulnerable to an injury and try to build that depth up in advance…knowing there is no escape valve in August. You really have to do all your work this month.” https://t.co/eWdxiLdPwC
— Jesse Rogers (@ESPNChiCubs) July 16, 2019
