On Sunday morning, Fox Sports analyst Ken Rosenthal reported that his sources are saying that the Arizona Diamondbacks are in “listening mode” for offers on catcher Miguel Montero. Now keep in mind that this is the same Ken Rosenthal whose sources told him in May of 2013 that Dodgers manager Don Mattingly would probably be fired “as soon as tomorrow.” Mattingly, of course, was not fired and was subsequently given a three-year contract extension at the end of the 2013 season after leading the Dodgers to the NL West Division title, so it is always advisable to take anything that Rosenthal (and his sources) say with a grain of salt.

That being said, it is quite possible that the newly-restructured Dbacks front office actually are interested in shedding the $40 million owed to Montero over the next three seasons.

To be fair, Montero is one of the better offensive catchers in the game today with a career triple slash of .264 / .342 / .421 for an OPS of .763. He has also hit 97 home runs during his nine-year MLB career – all with the Dbacks. And while the 31-year-old Caracas, Venezuela native is a two-time All-Star, his offensive numbers have declined significantly over the past two seasons – as noted by Rosenthal.

But if there were ever a guy who the Dodgers should absolutely avoid even considering acquiring it is Miguel Montero, and it has nothing to do with his baseball skills and everything to do with his attitude and personality.

Case in point:

The date was June 11, 2013. With one out in the bottom of the sixth inning and the Dbacks nursing a 2-0 lead in front of 42,844 fans at Dodger Stadium, noted hot-head right-hander Ian Kennedy hit Yasiel Puig in the face with a 92-MPH fastball. Fortunately the pitch only nicked Puig’s nose and he was able to continue after a terrifying five minute delay. Whether the pitch was intentional or not is subject to personal opinion but you’d be hard pressed to find one single Dodger player (or fan) who believes that it was not. As if on cue, Andre Ethier followed with a two-run home run which undoubtedly infuriated Ian Kennedy.

Although Dbacks fans may disagree, there is no way that Ian Kennedy did not intentionally hit Yasiel Puig in the head. Fortunately Kennedy’s 92-MPH fastball only grazed Puig’s nose. And yes, that is Kevin Towers in the first row on the right behind home plate smiling. (Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)

In the top of the seventh, Dodgers right-hander Zack Greinke followed the Baseball Codes and plunked leadoff hitter Miguel Montero in the back causing benches to clear and warnings to be issued by home plate umpire Clint Fagan. No punches were thrown and no ejections occurred.

“If you can’t pitch inside without hitting someone in the head, you shouldn’t pitch inside,” said Dodgers manager Don Mattingly in his post-game interview. “Puig gets hit in the face, Montero gets hit, it should have been really over at this point.”

But it was anything but over.

In the bottom of the seventh and with one out, Kennedy hit Greinke in the shoulder with a 92-MPH fastball on his very first pitch. The ball deflected off of Greinke’s shoulder and hit his helmet hard. The ball hadn’t even hit the ground yet and Kennedy was already walking towards the visitors dugout knowing full well that he and his manager were gone.

…and then all hell broke loose.

In a brawl of biblical proportions lasting a good five minutes, punches were thrown, shoves were given, headlocks were applied and ejections were rampant (and later fines and suspensions handed out – including a 10-day suspension for Kennedy).

The only way to describe the June 11, 2013 brawl between the Dodgers and Dbacks is “epic.”
(Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)

“I honestly had no idea that it was that high until I saw the replay,” Kennedy said after the game about his pitch that hit Greinke.

In the words of Hall of Fame broadcaster Vin Scully “That’s fertilizer!”

The point to all of this is that there is no doubt, absolutely none whatsoever, that Kennedy and Montero entered the bottom of the seventh inning with every intention of hitting Zack Greinke knowing that he was due up second in the inning. There is also no doubt, absolutely none whatsoever, that Dbacks manager Kirk Gibson had “ordered the Code Red” (as some call it) in reference to the classic movie A Few Good Men. Gibson, who was recently fired as the Dbacks manager, has been publicly ostracized for intentionally having his pitchers hit opposing batters under direct orders from also recently fired general manage Kevin Towers.

“I think come spring training, it will be duly noted that it’s going to be an eye for an eye and we’re going to protect one another,” said Towers during a live radio interview prior to the 2014 season. “If not, if you have [player] options, there’s ways to get you out of here and [if] you don’t follow suit or you don’t feel comfortable doing it, you probably don’t belong in a Diamondbacks uniform.”

Do you honestly believe that Clayton Kershaw has any desire to have Miguel Montero as his battery mate? (Photo credit – Jon SooHoo)

Needless to say, it is impossible to believe that Montero would ever be warmly received in the Dodgers clubhouse.

…or Dodger Stadium.