This one is definitely weird unless the Cubs are also on the verge of adding another bat and need to make room on their roster. Anyway, veteran catcher Martin Maldonado is reportedly being shopped around by the Cubs just two weeks after they traded Mike Montgomery to the Royals for him.
Robert Murray first tweeted about the possibility.
Then, Patrick Mooney, who covers the Cubs for The Athletic, followed up by reporting that the Astros have popped up as a real suitor for Maldonado.
Via The Athletic.
“Martín Maldonado has been marketed in trade discussions, sources told The Athletic’s Robert Murray, with the Houston Astros emerging as a particular team of interest.”
Again, this really only makes sense if the Cubs are also trading for another hitter in a separate deal. Plus, they’d be right back in the position they were before trading for Maldonado by not really having a solid emergency plan in case of injury to Willson Contreras or Victor Caratini.
Taylor Davis is fun, but Maldonado has proven to be a valuable defensive catcher and that’s why playoff teams like the Astros are obviously interested in his services.
But I guess we’ll see as the trade deadline is only a couple days away. So far the Cubs have acquired Maldonado and Derek Holland, while reportedly being a finalist for Eric Sogard.
