Dec. 10--SAN DIEGO -- Part of the learning process for Jon Lester in spring training will involve him getting acclimated to new Chicago Cubs catcher Miguel Montero.
The Cubs wouldn't have agreed to pay off of the remaining $40 million on Montero's contract if they didn't want him to catch the majority of games.
And for now, Welington Castillo will be relegated to a reserve role after starting the past two seasons.
Prior to the acquisition of Lester, President Theo Epstein explained how the left-handed hitting Montero would catch the majority of games against right-handed starters, with Castillo starting many of the games against left-handers.
But there is the possibility that the backup role could change. Epstein revealed that several teams expressed interest in Castillo after the Montero trade was completed Tuesday but said there are no plans to trade Castillo.
That could change with an overwhelming offer, although Castillo batted only .237 last season and could earn more than $2 million as an arbitration eligible player.
The free agent catcher that has been linked to Lester is David Ross, who caught Lester for the past two seasons with the Boston Red Sox. Lester had a 2.02 ERA with Ross behind the plate last season with the Red Sox.
The only drawback for Ross, 37, was his .184 batting average in 50 games last season. Ross also has played in no more than 62 games in any season since 2008, a somewhat risky consideration if Castillo is traded and Montero suffers an injury.
Ross, however, continues to follow Lester and had an interesting comment on Lester's decision to choose the Cubs over the Red Sox after playing there for 8 1/2 seasons.
"Happy for him," Ross told the Boston Globe. "I know how much he loves those guys (in Boston). I know it was a tough decision."
