Diamondbacks chief baseball officer Tony La Russa told reporters Monday at the winter meetings that, contrary to reports, Arizona’s No. 1 catcher can be traded.
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Later Monday, Fox Sports’ Jon Paul Morosi and Ken Rosenthal reported that the Cubs are interested in acquiring Montero.
Rosenthal reported Saturday that D-backs ownership refused to give final approval to a trade, that Montero is a favorite of principal owner Ken Kendrick, and that Arizona might be reluctant to trade with a division rival. Per MLB.com’s Steve Gilbert, La Russa said a deal was never in place.
That’s not to say Montero is on his way to LA.
“The conversations are not what they were before. I think it’s less likely,” La Russa told reportrers, including the Arizona Republic’s Nick Piecoro.
UPDATE: Montero seems to be in the dark about all of this:
