Cubs: It's 'right to move on' without Miguel Montero, but Jake Arrieta still 'loves Miggy'
WASHINGTON - Jake Arrieta appears to be more forgiving than the Chicago Cubs organization.
The Cubs decided to cut catcher Miguel Montero on Wednesday – a reprimand for his criticism of Arrieta on Tuesday night that ran afoul of the club's standards and deemed too detrimental to the team.
Arrieta was far more sympathetic – even going as far as to accept part of the blame for the dispute that arose after the Washington Nationals stole seven bases against the Arrieta-Montero tandem Tuesday night.
“We talked. I love Miggy. As you guys know he'll say some things from the heart on how he feels and he's open and honest,” Arrieta said Wednesday afternoon. “He regretted what he said and he felt bad about it. I told him that I'm not upset or mad at him. I didn't ever really see the comments, and I don't care what they were.
"I know what it was about and there’s a lot of honesty there. I didn't do him any favors. I was slow to the plate, and (Nationals shortstop Trea) Turner is one of the fastest guys in baseball so it just makes it look worse than it was. Just unfortunate it had to happen that way, but it is what it is.”
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The Cubs’ swift decision ended any effort to resolve the issue internally, but both Arrieta and first baseman Anthony Rizzo seemed to believe it could have been overcome.
“We are grown men,” said Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo. “A couple words, if they hurt your feelings in this industry, especially in the clubhouse, you’re in the wrong one. I think as men you always settle it and keep it in house."
Added Arrieta: “Miggy and I hashed it out. We had a good conversation. I know that’s the move they decided to make and obviously that’s the move they feel is best for the team. That’s their call and we'll stick by it and move forward.”
Montero ran afoul of the Cubs when he placed the blame for the Nationals' informal track meet on Arrieta's deliberate delivery. Montero has yet to throw out a runner in 31 attempts this year - regardless of pitcher.
“It really sucked because the stolen bases go to me, and when you really look at it, the pitcher doesn't give me any time," Montero said after the game. "So it's just like, 'Yeah, OK Miggy can't throw nobody out,' but my pitcher doesn't hold anybody on. ...
"That's the reason why they were running left and right today because they know he was slow to the plate. Simple as that. It's a shame that it's my fault because I didn't throw anybody out."
Cubs general manager Jed Hoyer revealed Wednesday that he, manager Joe Maddon and president of baseball operations Theo Epstein sat down with Montero on Tuesday night to discuss the catcher's postgame rant, and ultimately decided to designate him for assignment.
“Theo and I and Joe and a number of people talked through those last night,” said “We made the decision, factoring in everything, that we were going to move on without Miggy. It doesn’t mean we don’t have a ton of respect and appreciation for what he did for us for two-and-a-half years, but ultimately, given where we are as a team, we felt like the things he said were sort of against what we’re trying to accomplish right now. Like I said, it was right to move on without him.
“That means his performance on the field. It means where we are in the standings. All those things. I think that you don’t make any decision in a vacuum, and we factored in everything. In this particular situation, we felt like that was the right thing to do.”
Maddon felt it would have been a poor decision to allow Montero’s actions to go unpunished on a team with the eighth-youngest roster in the majors.
“First of all, I’m saying that I don’t doubt what Jake said, because Jake is that kind of a man,” Maddon said. “Jake is able to stand up to that kind of scrutiny, and take it all in and come back and treat it like an adult. Regardless of what Jake said regarding that it would not have impacted the clubhouse, I think it would have.
"There’s too many young guys in there that are impressionable. It’s not like a group of veterans that can separate and walk with what’s necessary and drop off what’s not. With this young, impressionable group, to me and a really good group that’s gonna be together for a long time, you don’t want to foster, nurture, or condone that kind of message.”
Contributing: Danielle Allentuck in Washington