La Russa: Ownership did not stop Montero deal

SAN DIEGO -- D-backs chief baseball officer Tony La Russa said that Arizona ownership never stepped in to stop a deal that would have sent catcher Miguel Montero to the Dodgers in exchange for Andre Ethier.

FOXSports.com reported over the weekend that the proposed deal "collapsed when the D-Backs' ownership declined to give final approval."

Not so, La Russa said.

"What happened with the Dodgers, we had conversations with them, but at no time was there a deal done that ownership called in and said, "No, stop, this isn't going to happen,'" La Russa said.

La Russa acknowledged that the team has fielded offers for Montero, but said that after losing 98 games in 2014, the organization is willing to listen to an offer on any of its players with the exception of first baseman Paul Goldschmidt.

"In some cases, if you're talking about Miggy, I can tell you about other guys that haven't been as public," La Russa said. "But in Miggy's case, it came down to maybe, I think from six it went to four teams that were aggressively pursuing him. We talked, what's the match, why? Not that you want to trade him, but you've got to listen because we need some help."

La Russa then jokingly made his point about Goldschmidt being untouchable when he mentioned that first-year general manager Dave Stewart was free to try to trade him, "But I don't think Stew wants to have the shortest regime in history."