Montero happy to be done with Diamondbacks

The Diamondbacks traded catcher Miguel Montero to the Chicago Cubs on Dec. 9. That night, Montero received a text message from his new employer saying they had signed free-agent pitcher Jon Lester.

He couldn't believe his good fortune.

"I was like, 'Awesome, even better,' " Montero said. "I tell you, I'm really pumped about this new chapter in my life."

It's jarring to see Montero in a Cubs' uniform. For better or worse, in sickness and in health he was the Diamondbacks. Montero had the first locker inside Arizona's clubhouse and the loudest voice in the room. He never stopped talking, never stopped catching and always stood up to accept responsibility.

Now, after nine seasons in Arizona, he's a Cub. But if you think Montero is having a difficult time getting over the split, think again. He's glad it happened.

"When I first heard the news I was really excited," he said. "It was time for me to be somewhere else."

Montero was so certain he'd be traded he cleaned out his locker at the end of last season, something he had never done before. He knew Arizona was rebuilding and that it didn't make sense to pay a 31-year-old catcher the $40 million left on the contract he signed in 2012.

But Montero needed the break, as well. He might have been a warrior behind the plate, catching 533 games from 2011 through 2014, but he was beaten down mentally and emotionally by the Diamondbacks' losing ways. He didn't allow his flagging spirit to be seen inside the clubhouse because of his role as a team leader but privately his enthusiasm and energy were lost.

"It was difficult," he said. "When you go out and compete and you don't have a chance, it's tough. It wears on you pretty quick. Mentally it will get you tired really quick. I think that's something that happened to me."

Montero's offensive numbers took a steep drop his final two years in Arizona — in particular, 2013, when he hit .230 with just 11 homers and 42 RBIs — and some believed that was a result of him being worn down physically from playing so many games.

Montero isn't buying it. He points out that in 2011, when the Diamondbacks won 94 games and the NL West Division title, he caught 140 games and had one of his best offensive years, hitting .282 with a career-high 18 homers and 86 RBIs.

"It's just different," he said. "When you're competing your mind is ready to play. You can't wait to wake up and go to the field because it's exciting. You don't have time to think about if you're tired. You have adrenaline. You go out there and you have a purpose. … We're going to win today.

"But when you play 135 games and you're 20 behind in the standings, your mind is not there. Your mind is drained. It's just like, 'OK, let's get through the day.' You're not winning so it's not fun."

Montero also argues that his decline offensively was impacted by what the Diamondbacks had in the lineup around him. In the first half last year, when Paul Goldschmidt and Martin Prado were everyday players, Montero hit .262 with 11 homers and 52 RBIs. In the second half, with Goldschmidt injured and Prado a New York Yankee, he hit .212 with two homers and 20 RBIs.

"It was hard for me to hit because I didn't see many good pitches and you get desperate," Montero said. "It's not an excuse but I just got impatient."

Montero feels reinvigorated with the Cubs. While Arizona is essentially starting over under Chief Baseball Officer Tony La Russa, General Manager Dave Stewart and rookie manager Chip Hale, the Cubs are poised to win immediately thanks to an abundance of young offensive talent, the signing of Lester and the hiring of manager Joe Maddon.

"I haven't really paid much attention to what (the D-Backs are) doing but I think they're in reconstruction mode," Montero said. "They're a little far away from the potential of winning. Maybe I'm wrong. But here I think it's a better place. It's different. I don't want to take anything away from the guys over there but I've been catching a lot of guys over here and you actually get excited because they have electric stuff. Not that I didn't catch that a little bit over there but in reality I didn't see much of it.

"We have more of a chance to win."

Maddon said Montero will get the "preponderance" of the starts at catcher, the number of games to be determined by how fresh Montero stays playing day games through the Chicago summer.

"I'm a big fan," Maddon said. "This guy uses adverbs. How many young Hispanic players you know use adverbs? And he's been a workhorse. Guys that answer the bell, to me they get credit."

Montero hasn't kept in touch with many of the Diamondbacks. The organization has moved on. So has he.

"This is the perfect place for me now," he said. "The last two or three years I've been working with developing players. I'm tired of that. I want to win."

Reach Bordow at scott.bordow@arizonarepublic.com. Follow him on Twitter at Twitter.com/sBordow



