The Astros introduced that Rafael Montero has been outrighted to Triple-A Sugar Land after clearing waivers. Montero was designated for project earlier this week, and since Montero had greater than sufficient MLB service time to reject the outright project in favor of free company, at present’s transfer signifies that the veteran righty voluntarily accepted the transfer right down to the minor leagues.
Montero’s choice is akin to Jose Abreu additionally agreeing to be optioned to the minors earlier this season, although that transaction was only a straight demotion and never a DFA. Sadly for the Astros, there may be additional similarity in that each Abreu and Montero are well-paid veterans who’ve struggled badly since Opening Day 2023, leaving the Astros with an enormous chunk of basically useless cash on their payroll.
Initially coming to Houston in a commerce with the Mariners in July 2021, Montero emerged as a pressure out of the Astros bullpen in 2022. Montero posted a 2.37 ERA in 68 1/3 innings for the World Collection champions, serving as an ace setup man for nearer Ryan Pressly and selecting up some saves himself when Pressly was on the injured listing. This massive efficiency got here in a contract 12 months for Montero, and it paid off within the type of a three-year, $34.5MM free agent deal to return to the Astros.
Issues have gone south for Montero since that deal was signed, because the right-hander has a 4.94 ERA over 105 2/3 because the begin of the 2023 marketing campaign. Opposing batters have been making a ton extra onerous contact in opposition to Montero’s choices, and his strikeout price has additionally plummeted even from 2023 to 2024. Montero’s 26.5K% in 2023 was nonetheless fairly respectable, however his 14K% this 12 months ranks solely within the third percentile of all pitchers.
With Montero displaying little signal of enchancment, the Astros made the choice to lastly designate him, and certainly no membership was going to make a waiver declare and due to this fact inherit the remainder of the struggling reliever’s contract. Montero’s service time would’ve allowed him to retain all of that wage even when he had chosen to develop into a free agent, however he’ll as a substitute head to Triple-A to see if he can get himself again on monitor. Since Montero is off the 40-man roster and is getting paid anyway, there’s no draw back for the Astros or for the pitcher in taking this sojourn within the minors, as all events will profit if Montero can regain some type and re-emerge as a viable choice in Houston’s pen. If issues don’t flip round for Montero in Sugar Land, the Astros may simply launch him, as they finally did with Abreu.
