Report: Blue Jays among teams to check in on ex-Cub Montero

Ken Reid and Arash Madani react to the news that the Toronto Blue Jays have signed Michael Saunders to a minor-league deal.

The Toronto Blue Jays are among the teams expressing interest in former Chicago Cubs catcher Miguel Montero, reports Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports.

Montero and the Cubs parted ways on Wednesday, one day after the backstop spoke out about pitcher Jake Arrieta’s inability to control opposing baserunners.

While he wouldn’t displace Russell Martin as Toronto’s starter, Montero would serve as an offensive upgrade over backup Luke Maile offensively as he has posted an .805 OPS with four home runs and eight RBIs in 44 games. By comparison, Maile has recorded just three extra-base hits over 30 contests with the Blue Jays.

Toronto would figure to take a hit in terms of deterring opponents on the base paths as Montero has thrown out just one of 31 potential base stealers this season as opposed to Maile’s 32 per cent caught-stealing rate.

When asked about the Blue Jays’ potential interest in Montero, Toronto manager John Gibbons said, “I hadn’t heard that.”

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