Tigers' trading for Rafael Montero gives Chris Fetter high-leverage reclamation project

The Detroit Tigers made a handful of additions to their bullpen ahead of Thursday's trade deadline, including right-hander Rafael Montero, whom they acquired from the Atlanta Braves.

Montero is on the move for the second time in less than four months, as the Braves picked him up in a trade in early April. His career has been a rollercoaster marked by early promise, injuries, inconsistency, and dramatic performance swings. Yet, he's the kind of pitcher that teams continually take a chance on in hopes of reviving or sustaining his previous success.

Montero was once a top prospect in the New York Mets' system, debuting in 2014 with high expectations. But injuries – including Tommy John surgery in 2018 – derailed his development and led to wildly inconsistent mechanics and command.

Montero put together a solid body of work as a closer with the Texas Rangers in 2020, pitching to a 4.08 ERA with eight saves. He followed that up with a disastrous 2021 season with the Seattle Mariners in which his ERA ballooned up to 7.27. His true breakout year came in 2022 with the Houston Astros, when he pitched to a 2.37 ERA with 14 holds and 14 saves, but his 2023 season saw a regression to a 5.08 ERA with shaky command.

In 2024, the Astros designated Montero for assignment before outrighting him to Triple-A Sugar Land. He was added to Houston's active roster to open the 2025 campaign before being traded to Atlanta in early April for a player to be named later. During a limited showing with the Braves, Montero has pitched to a 5.50 ERA over 34 1/3 innings.

Tigers' trading for Rafael Montero gives Chris Fetter a high-leverage reclamation project

Montero's recent numbers don't give Tigers fans much to be excited about, but his high-velocity fastball and good changeup give Tigers pitching coach Chris Fetter a raw arsenal to work with.

Since becoming the Tigers’ pitching coach in 2021, Fetter has built a reputation for turning around or unlocking underperforming arms – Michael Lorenzen, Tyler Holton, and Jason Foley, to name a few. He has also helped guys like Reese Olson and Tarik Skubal refine their arsenals with data-driven development. If Skubal's Cy Young award last season (and likely another one this season) is any indication, Fetter's work speaks for itself.

Montero has shown the ability to dominate when everything clicks (like in 2022 with the Astros). The tools are there; the consistency isn't. Fetter has fixed that before.

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