The following is a press release from the Chicago Cubs:
Cubs acquire catcher Miguel Montero from Arizona for a pair of Minor League pitchers
SAN DIEGO – The Chicago Cubs today acquired catcher Miguel Montero from the Arizona Diamondbacks for minor league right-handed pitchers Jeferson Mejia and Zack Godley.
Montero, 31, last season earned National League All-Star honors for the second time in his big league career, all of which had been spent with the Diamondbacks (2006-14). He was first named an All-Star in 2011, when he batted .282 (139-for-493) with 36 doubles, 18 home runs, 86 RBI and an .820 OPS in 140 games to help the Diamondbacks to the N.L. West division title. A year later, he established career highs in many offensive categories, batting .286 (139-for-486) with 25 doubles, 15 homers, 88 RBI, a .391 on-base percentage, a .438 slugging percentage and an .829 OPS.
The left-handed hitting catcher broke into the big leagues in 2006 and was Arizona’s primary catcher by the 2009 campaign, when he hit .294 (125-for-425) with 30 doubles, 16 home runs and 59 RBI in 128 games. He signed a five-year contract extension (through 2017) during the 2012 campaign. Montero batted .243 (119-for-489) with 23 doubles, 13 homers, 72 RBI and a .329 on-base percentage during his All-Star campaign a season ago.
Montero has played in at least 136 games in three of the last four seasons, has reached at least 20 doubles in five of his last six seasons and has recorded 10 or more home runs in six of his eight campaigns since 2007. Overall, he is a career .264 hitter (795-for-3,017) with 172 doubles, 97 home runs, 448 RBI and a .342 on-base percentage in 906 major league contests, averaging 31 doubles, 17 home runs and 80 RBI per 162 games. In the last six seasons, only Brian McCann has more home runs among left-handed hitting catchers since Montero became Arizona’s primary catcher in 2009.
A native of Venezuela, Montero was originally signed by the Diamondbacks as a non-drafted free agent in 2001.
Mejia, 20, went 2-4 with a 2.48 ERA (11 ER/40.0 IP) in 12 games (two starts) with Rookie-level Mesa last season, his first year pitching in the United States. He signed with the Cubs as a non-drafted free agent out of the Dominican Republic.
Godley, 24, combined to go 4-3 with 15 saves and a 3.09 ERA (19 ER/55.1 IP) in 40 relief appearances between Single-A Kane County and Daytona last season. He was drafted by the Cubs in the 10th round of the 2013 Draft out of the University of Tennessee.
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