The Cubs announced that they had finalized a trade sending pitcher Mike Montgomery to the Kansas City Royals in exchange for catcher Martin Maldonado. In a related move, the Cubs have placed catcher Willson Contreras on the 10-day injured list with a strained right foot.
The 32-year-old veteran Maldonado is known as a terrific defensive catcher as well as a terrific pitch framer over the course of his career. His bat is much less impressive, posting .220/.289/.359 line over 685 career games. He’s played for the Brewers, Angels, Astros and the Royals.