"Montero divided the 2025 season between a trio of clubs. He began the year on the Astros, playing out the final season of a three-year contract that Houston had quickly come to regret. They managed to offload a portion of his salary in an April trade with the Braves, who would flip him to the Tigers at the deadline. Montero managed a decent ERA in Detroit but had concerning underlying marks throughout the season."
"The 35-year-old righty combined for a 4.48 earned run average through 60 1/3 innings. He got a lot of swinging strikes and managed a slightly above-average 23% strikeout rate. That came with a lot of free passes, as he walked almost 15% of opponents. Montero has never had pristine command but had gotten the walks enough in check to be a key setup arm for the Astros in 2022. He carries a 4.77 ERA over 166 innings over the past three seasons."
"Montero sits around 95 mph with his fastball and picked up a splitter last year that became his primary pitch, especially against left-handed batters. The latter offering is a big reason the Braves and Tigers took a flier. Detroit carried Montero on their playoff rosters. His only appearance came early in a bullpen game in which he failed to retire any of the three batters he faced."
Rafael Montero agreed to a minor-league deal with the Yankees and earned a Spring Training invite, carrying a $1.8MM MLB salary if added to the roster. The 35-year-old split 2025 among the Astros, Braves and Tigers after Houston moved part of his contract and teams flipped him at the deadline. He posted a 4.48 ERA in 60 1/3 innings with a 23% strikeout rate but nearly a 15% walk rate. Montero’s fastball sits near 95 mph and he introduced a splitter that became a primary pitch, particularly versus left-handed hitters. Detroit included him on the playoff roster despite a rough lone appearance. He will compete for a Yankees bullpen spot behind several established relievers.
Read at MLB Trade Rumors
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