The biggest splash thus far at the MLB Winter Meetings in San Diego came in the wee hours of the morning — on the East Coast, that is — with the Chicago White Sox trading for Athletics ace Jeff Samardzija and also signing former Yankees closer David Robertson to a four-year, $46 million contract.
The action continued on Tuesday with reports of a trade between the Cubs and Diamondbacks, and a signing by the Pirates of a second-tier starting pitcher.
The Cubs, who missed out on their catching target earlier this offseason when Russell Martin signed with the Blue Jays, acquired backstop Miguel Montero from the D-backs for a pair of minor-leaguers, according to Bruce Levine of 670thescore.com out of Chicago.
Montero, 31, was one of the game's premiere offensive catchers from 2009 to 2012, a four-year span during which he hit .283/.361/.457 and averaged 20 homers per 162 games. He's since declined, hitting .237 with a .682 OPS over the last two seasons, and he's owed $26 million over the final two years of his contract.
The Cubs' NL Central rival Pirates filled a rotation hole with the re-signing of left-hander Francisco Liriano. The deal is for $39 million over three years, according to CBS Sports' Jon Heyman.
Liriano was seen as a second-tier free-agent starting pitcher, a fallback option for the teams that missed out on Jon Lester, Max Scherzer, Jeff Samardzija and James Shields. Liriano's removal from the market by the Pirates could give additional leverage to the Phillies in their Cole Hamels trade negotiations; there is now one fewer pitcher for the many open seats.
The other free-agent starting pitchers in that second class are Justin Masterson, Brandon McCarthy, Hiroki Kuroda, Ervin Santana, Jake Peavy and Ryan Vogelsong. There is also the if-they're-health crew of Josh Johnson, Chad Billingsley, Brandon Morrow, Kris Medlen and Brandon Beachy.