The Arizona Diamondbacks' Miguel Montero contract extension, finalized on Saturday, gives us another example of the apparent rise in catcher value we first saw when the St. Louis Cardinals signed Yadier Molina, 30 in the first year of a deal beginning in 2013, to a five-year contract worth $75 million. This one's five and $60 million for the 28-year-old Montero.
↵In light of this move the Cardinals' decision to extend Molina makes considerably more sense, at least to me. Montero potentially has less mileage on him than the average 28-year-old starting catcher, but that potential comes with its own risks; thanks mostly to a platoon situation with Chris Snyder earlier in his career he's only played 100 games in a season twice, with last year's 140 a career high by 12 games.
↵A catcher with Montero's power and his arm is a valuable quantity, and the Diamondbacks' risk here has a significant chance of paying off to their benefit—the Cardinals just happen to have been lucky enough for Molina to develop the power after showing off the defense and the durability for years.
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