2 managers say Montero had a point

Wearing his new Blue Jays jersey, Miguel Montero wanted to put his petulant parting from the Cubs behind him.

“It wasn’t the perfect departure, but it is what it was,” Montero said Tuesday after reporting to his new team. “I live in the moment, and I just really don’t look back at the past. It happened already. It’s over. Time to forget.”

Montero’s time with the Cubs ended quickly. He criticized pitcher Jake Arrieta on June 27 for a slow delivery that led to seven stolen bases in a 6-1 loss to the Nationals and was designated for assignment the next day. He was dealt to the Jays on Monday.

“I’ve heard nothing but great things about the guy,” manager John Gibbons said before his Jays beat the Yankees 4-1 on Tuesday in New York. “I’ve heard he’s a great team guy. He’s still very productive.”

Montero maintained there was no lasting acrimony with Arrieta.

“We’re good,” he said. “We’re good friends.”

Gibbons, a former big-league catcher, said Montero had a valid point.

“(Catchers) take the heat for it, no doubt,” he said. “But a pitcher controls, so he’s got to give you a chance. Certain pitchers with their deliveries, their size, they have a much tougher time. That’s just the way it is.”

Yankees manager Joe Girardi, another former catcher, agreed that a catcher can do only so much.

“If the times are slow and the baserunners are fast, I don’t care how good your arm is, you’re going to have a hard time throwing people out.” he said.

Said Montero: “I had a great time in Chicago. It’s over now. I’ve got a new team to worry about right now.”