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The Chicago Cubs on Sunday agreed to terms with newly acquired catcher Michael Barrett on a one-year contract.
Financial terms were not disclosed.
On Monday, the
Montreal Expos sent Barrett - their starting catcher - to the Oakland Athletics
after the two sides could not come to a contract agreement. A similar dispute
happened with the Athletics, who traded Barrett to Chicago for a player to be
named on Tuesday.
That trade was completed Sunday when the Cubs sent catcher Damian Miller and
cash considerations to Oakland.
Barrett, who was eligible for arbitration, hit just .208 with 10 home runs and 30 RBI last season, limited to 70 games due to a hip injury and broken finger.
A solid backstop who also has played third base, Barrett is a career .253 hitter with 38 homers and 193 RBI over parts of six seasons - all with the Expos. The Atlanta native was a first-round pick in the 1995 draft.
The 27-year-old Barrett ends up on a team with one of the best young rotations in baseball, which includes Mark Prior and Kerry Wood.
The A's were in need of a catcher after sending Ramon Hernandez to the San Diego Padres, rather than pay him. In Miller, they get a 35-year-old who batted .233 with nine homers and 36 RBI this past season in 114 games behind the plate.