Detroit Tigers trade grade for Rafael Montero: One of worst MLB relievers from 2023-25

Yahoo

04-08-2025

PHILADELPHIA — The Detroit Tigers traded for veteran right-handed reliever Rafael Montero for Double-A infielder Jim Jarvis in a deal Wednesday, July 30, with the Atlanta Braves.
Here's how Evan Petzold, the Tigers beat writer for the Detroit Free Press, evaluates the Montero trade ahead of the 2025 MLB trade deadline, providing a grade and analysis.
Detroit Tigers trade for Rafael Montero
Tigers acquire: RHP Rafael Montero.
Braves acquire: INF Jim Jarvis.
Grade: D.
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The buzz: The Tigers watched Seranthony Dominguez get traded to the Toronto Blue Jays, then Ryan Helsley to the New York Mets, then Jhoan Durán to the Philadelphia Phillies. A few hours after missing out on Helsley, the Tigers made their move for a bullpen addition by trading for right-handed reliever Rafael Montero, who has a 5.40 ERA in 39 games.
Along with a 5.40 ERA, Montero is responsible for 21 walks and 34 strikeouts across 38⅓ innings. The 34-year-old ranks in the second percentile with a 13.9% walk rate and the 58th percentile with a 23.5% strikeout rate.
Here's the No. 1 problem: From 2023-25, Montero ranks 164th out of 174 qualified relievers with a 5.06 ERA — ahead of only Joey Wentz, Jalen Beeks, José Ruiz, Trevor Richards, Carlos Hernández, Joe Mantiply, Nate Pearson, Scott McGough, John Brebbia and Tyler Kinley. The Tigers already tried and failed to fix Wentz, Hernández and Brebbia.
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In 2025, Montero had a 3.60 ERA in his first 30 innings, followed by an 11.88 ERA in his last 8⅓ innings.
The Tigers' bullpen ranks 20th among the 30 MLB teams with a 4.16 ERA (and 26th with a 4.90 ERA since May 16), so when Montero is at his best, he can help. The glaring problem is he struggles to throw the ball in the strike zone, which leads to too many walks.
The Tigers' bullpen also ranks 29th with a 22.7% whiff rate. Montero has a 28.9% whiff rate, good for the 76th percentile, but his above-average (but not elite) whiff rate doesn't justify the traffic he creates with the walks.
To acquire Montero, the Tigers gave up infielder Jim Jarvis — an 11th-round pick in the 2023 draft out of Alabama who wasn't ranked on their top-30 prospects list, according to MLB Pipeline. Although Jarvis has experience at three infield positions, including shortstop, he hit just .242 with two home runs and a .652 OPS over 77 games at Double-A Erie.
THE TRADE: Tigers acquire reliever Rafael Montero in trade with Braves
This is the second Montero trade in less than four months, from the Houston Astros to the Braves in early April, then from the Braves to the Tigers in late July. His fastball averages 95 mph, and his splitter has a 35% whiff rate.
The Tigers expect their pitchers to dominate the strike zone, which has been a mantra from president of baseball operations Scott Harris since his first day on the job.
Montero doesn't do that.
When the latest Montero trade happened, Braves fans celebrated that they wouldn't have to watch him pitch for the next two months, which exemplifies how poorly he has performed, especially over the past month. Montero, who won the 2022 World Series, becomes a free agent after the 2025 season.
Contact Evan Petzold at [e-mail] or follow him @EvanPetzold.
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers trade grade for Rafael Montero deal from Atlanta Braves