At first glance, Atlanta Braves reliever Rafael Montero doesn't really fit the profile of a guy that would cause an entire fanbase to get heartburn nearly every time he takes the mound. He gets hitters to chase and gets plenty of swing and miss in route to a decent strikeout rate. However, Montero has now been exactly that headache for two different franchises in his career and fortunately, the Braves are now rid of him.
Montero has long been considered a bullpen arm that the Braves would love to be rid of if they could actually find a taker for him even at his reduced salary. Thankfully, such a suitor revealed themselves on Wednesday as the Braves swung a trade with the Tigers to ship Montero out of town.
The Tigers have acquired RHP Rafael Montero from the Atlanta Braves in exchange for Minor League INF Jim Jarvis. pic.twitter.com/JRw5PJDY1m
— Detroit Tigers (@tigers) July 31, 2025
Braves thankfully find a suitor/sucker for Rafael Montero after late night trade
Details are still light in terms of how Montero's money is going to be paid out and by whom, but this is a win for the Braves regardless. While prospect Jim Jarvis being the return for Atlanta as a shortstop with a career .663 OPS in the minor leagues is not overly exciting, what is exciting is that we won't be subjected to another blown close game at Montero's hand.
If there was a notable bullpen meltdown by the Braves this year, it is highly likely that Montero was in the middle of it in some form or fashion. While he does get swing and miss which bails him out at times, that is drastically offset by the sheer number of walks he gives up. Combine those constant extra baserunners with a tendency to give up hard contact in bunches and you have a reliever that is essentially an walking adventure every single time he takes the mound.
Through 36 appearances with the Braves, Montero sported a 5.50 ERA which is honestly lower than most Braves fans who have followed the team would have guessed. Thankfully, he is the Tigers problem now and Atlanta can move on and start thinking about how they are going to rebuild this decimated bullpen of theirs.