Report: Martin Maldonado Traded to Cubs; Royals Receive Mike Montgomery

The Chicago Cubs needed depth behind the plate after Willson Contreras suffered a foot injury, and they reportedly acquired just that in the form of Martin Maldonado.  

According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, the Cubs traded for the Kansas City Royals catcher on Monday following a 6-3 loss to the Cincinnati Reds. Maldonado was pulled from Kansas City’s game against the Chicago White Sox prior to the deal being completed.

Jon Heyman of MLB Network noted the Cubs sent left-handed pitcher Mike Montgomery to the Royals as part of the trade. Rosenthal pointed out Montgomery has two more years of team control, while Maldonado will be a free agent following the 2019 campaign.

Maldonado gives the Cubs a veteran presence behind the plate, but larger concerns with Contreras surely motivated the National League Central leaders to make the move.

Jesse Rogers of ESPN noted president of baseball operations Theo Epstein said Contreras will head to the injured list with a strain of the arch muscle in his right foot. 

Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic provided something of a silver lining for Cubs fans when he reported Contreras is not expected to miss more than 10 days while on the injured list. Contreras started for the National League in the All-Star Game and has been a bright spot for the largely inconsistent Cubs this season.

It will be up to Maldonado and Victor Caratini, who started Monday's defeat, to make up for the lost production while Contreras is sidelined. Maldonado is not known for his bat and is slashing just .224/.288/.359 with six home runs and 17 RBI this year, although he should provide stability in the field.

According to FanGraphs, Maldonado is responsible for seven defensive runs saved behind the plate this year. He also isn't far removed from the 2017 campaign when he tallied 22 defensive runs saved at catcher for the Los Angeles Angels.

That type of glovework will be a welcome development for a Cubs team that is an ugly 25th in defensive fielding percentage.

Chicago is just two games ahead of the St. Louis Cardinals and 2.5 games ahead of the Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Central and will need to at least tread water while Contreras is out. Maldonado is a veteran who can help it do just that even though he likely won't see much playing time when the starter returns.

He also won't have the chance to catch Montgomery, who heads to a rebuilding Kansas City club. While the southpaw will forever be remembered by Chicago fans as the pitcher who earned a save in Game 7 of the 2016 World Series, he has struggled this year to the tune of a 5.67 ERA.