Nats sign veteran Montero to compete for backup catching job

The Nationals will have another experienced catcher on their camp roster this spring. Just not either of the experienced catchers they have routinely been linked to all winter.

The Nats have signed Miguel Montero to a minor league contract with an invitation to big league camp, electing to take a low-risk flyer on the former Diamondback, Cub and Blue Jay after watching Alex Avila sign with Arizona and Miami refuse to lower its asking price for J.T. Realmuto.

Montero won't be threatening Matt Wieters for the starting job, according to a club official. Rather, the 34-year-old will compete with Pedro Severino for the No. 2 position behind the plate, with no guarantee of making the opening day roster.

The Nationals do like Montero as a potential complement for Wieters, though, because of his track record as a left-handed batter. Though he has hit .216 each of the last two seasons, he owns a .257 batting average, .340 on-base percentage and .752 OPS over the course of his 12-year career. Wieters, meanwhile, has always been better from the right side of the plate, with a .270 batting average, .330 on-base percentage and .790 OPS.

Montero also is regarded as a strong pitch framer, though his throwing skills have long been a problem and bottomed out last season when he allowed 58 of 63 runners to successfully steal a base. The low point came June 27 at Nationals Park when he could not throw out any of the seven Nats who stole a base off him and starter Jake Arrieta. (Montero was highly critical of Arrieta after that game and wound up getting designated for assignment by the Cubs and later traded to the Blue Jays.)

Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo has long known Montero, signing him out of Venezuela in 2001 when he was with the Diamondbacks and then watching him become a two-time All-Star. That previous history likely helped foster this signing, in which Montero will earn a $1.3 million base salary and up to $1.7 million in incentives if he makes the Nats opening day roster, according to FanRag Sports' Jon Heyman.

New manager Dave Martinez also has extensive experience with Montero, serving as bench coach during the catcher's entire tenure in Chicago.

Despite this addition, the Nationals still view Wieters as their No. 1 catcher heading into spring training, citing his track record, his popularity with the pitching staff and the hope he'll enjoy a bounceback season after a strange 2017 in which he couldn't train over the winter after suffering a nasty cut on his right arm and then had to rush to get ready after signing with the Nationals one week into spring training. The club hopes to reduce his workload some, as well, with either Severino or Montero getting several starts per week.

The Nationals did have interest in Avila, but the 31-year-old wound up signing a two-year, $8.25 million with the Diamondbacks earlier this week. They have been interested in Realmuto all winter, but have been unable to convince the Marlins to remove top prospects Victor Robles and Juan Soto from their asking price in a trade.