The acquisition of Maldonado came as the Cubs also chose to place All-Star catcher Willson Contreras on the injured list with a strain to an arch in his right foot. The team had been discussing a trade for Maldonado prior to Monday, when MRI findings on Contreras came back and suggested a precautionary injured list stint was necessary, president of baseball operations Theo Epstein said.
"We don't expect it to be longer than the 10 days," Epstein said of Contreras' injury timeline. "That's what we hope anyway."
Contreras was present with the Cubs after their loss to the Reds but declined to speak with reporters. Manager Joe Maddon said that despite the team explaining to Contreras that his injured list stint will be brief, "He’d still like to play in spite of this all."
Maldonado, 32, is hitting .227 with six homers, 17 RBIs and a .647 OPS in 73 games for Kansas City this season. He's set to be a free agent this offseason.
Montgomery, 30, has struggled with a 5.67 ERA and 1.78 WHIP in 20 appearances this season. Before his 2019 downturn, he had rotated as a steady member of the bullpen and rotation after the Cubs acquired him in a trade in July 2016.
Montgomery earned the save for the in Game 7 of the 2016 World Series by throwing two pitches in the 10th inning, including an 0-1 curveball to the Indians' Michael Martinez that resulted in a groundout to Kris Bryant and the final out of the Cubs' 8-7 win that clinched the championship in Cleveland.
"I want to thank Mike Montgomery for everything he did in a Cub uniform," Epstein said. "Obviously, you can’t talk about his contributions without talking about getting that last out of the World Series that changed everybody’s life."
The Royals had been seeking a starter after dealing veteran Homer Bailey to Oakland on Sunday, which is when the conversations with the Cubs began intensifying. Montgomery now returns to the organization that selected him in the first round of the 2008 draft.
Upon learning of the trade, Montgomery was told he's slated to start for Kansas City at Cleveland on Friday.
"You get those emotions going through your head," Montgomery said after being traded. "You understand what kind of impact you had on a lot of people's lives here. Now I'm going to be looking forward to a new opportunity.
"I'm excited for the opportunity. From a baseball perspective, I'm feeling like I can bring a lot to that team."