CHANDLER, Ariz. -- Every winter, the Diamondbacks field calls on catcher Miguel Montero. Of course they do. Production and durability from a left-handed hitter at a premium position never loses it value.
This time, the D-backs appear more receptive than ever.
It is not a stretch to believe we might have seen the last of Montero in a D-backs uniform.
No one but first baseman Paul Goldschmidt from the D-backs' 98-loss team of 2014 appears to be off limits, and restocking the rotation while reallocating payroll appears to be a priority, especially given their long-term plans of participating at the high end of the free-agent market following the 2015 season.
The free-agent market this season is thin in the D-backs' salary bracket, with the only pitching help likely to come from a small class of returning-to-health veterans that includes Chad Billingsley, Brett Anderson and Justin Masterson.
Which makes a trade seem more likely.
"We're looking at our options. We look at the free-agent market, and there aren't many ways to go there. There are a few big names, and I'm not sure we are going to be in the competition there," D-backs president/CEO Derrick Hall said Friday at the D-backs annual celebrity golf tournament that raises funds to support initiatives that benefit military members and their families.
"We're going to have to get creative through trades. I think the best way for us is to work with other teams and see what we can do and how we can create some flexibility with our payroll to get big arms."
The D-backs have high dollars tied up in three players this winter -- second baseman Aaron Hill, outfielder Cody Ross and Montero. Only Montero seems likely to generate much interest. The D-backs got few nibbles on Hill at the 2014 trade deadline, and he is owed $12 million for each of the next two years. Ross's devastating hip injury makes him a tough take for another team, and he is to make $8.5 million this season -- with a $9.5 million option and a $1 million buyout in 2016.
That leaves Montero, who again in 2014 demonstrated he is one of the most reliable catchers in the majors, even after a late-season slump as the D-backs struggled to the finish line. Montero slashed .243/.329/.370 with 13 home runs and 72 RBI while returning from a back injury that compromised his 2013 season. No one has caught more innings that Montero since 2011, and his caught stealing percentage is above 30 percent, in the top tier of major league catchers.
"To say we are shopping anyone, I don't think that's the case," D-backs player personnel director De Jon Watson said. "But we have to listen to all incoming calls to see if there is a place we feel like we can get better."
Montero, 31, is the most expensive player on the D-backs payroll after signing a five-year $60 million contract extension in May 2012. He is to make $12 million in 2015 and $14 million in 2016 and 2017, and his deal does not include a no-trade clause. Big-market clubs could accept that salary and not blink. The Yankees signed left-handed hitting catcher Brian McCann to a five-year, $85 million deal last winter.
The free-agent catching market has a hole at the top after Pittsburgh's Russell Martin, and needy teams that miss on Martin could turn to Montero. The Dodgers like A.J. Ellis but received limited offensive production from him last season. The Cubs and Toronto appear to have openings behind the plate, and the Pirates will be looking after Martin goes away.
The D-backs could expect a No. 2 or No. 3 starter in a package for Montero, depending on how much if any of his salary they pick up. A deal would leave defensive specialist Tuffy Gosewisch as the only catcher on the D-backs' 40-man roster.
Newcomer Peter O'Brien continues to flash a power bat, and he had two more homers in an Arizona Fall League game Friday, giving him five in 22 Fall League games. One scout compared him to Colorado's Wilin Rosario, and most believe he needs more repetitions behind the plate before he is ready for the majors. In St. Louis, D-backs chief baseball officer Tony La Russa was partial to defense-first catchers such as Mike Matheny and Yadier Molina, and the D-backs could look to add a veteran for 2015 as O'Brien matures.
However it happens, a reconstruction is planned.
"We'll tweak a few things," Hall said. "I think if we can address our starting pitching, maybe bring in another arm or two to help there, and get guys back healthy, this team could do some damage."
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