Detroit Tigers fans were exceptionally underwhelmed at the trade deadline when a clear-cut contender in the Motor City seemingly didn’t do nearly enough to supplement the roster. One of the biggest areas of concern was the bullpen, a group that saw the biggest addition be Kyle Finnegan while also adding Rafael Montero in a low-level swap with the Atlanta Braves. But fans in Atlanta could’ve quickly told Tigers fans what to expect then, and could say “told you so” now.
Put simply, Braves fans were probably surprised that they even found a trade partner for Montero. He was a headache in relief for Atlanta throughout a season that’s been full of them for that team. Across 36 appearances this season, the right-hander posted a 5.50 ERA with a 1.398 WHIP, including 5.5 walks per nine innings. And yet, somehow, Montero has been even worse since coming to the Tigers.
Though he’s made only three appearances for Detroit, it’s been quite disastrous. He has an 8.31 ERA while allowing four runs in 4.1 innings with a 1.846 WHIP over that small sample size. What’s worse, he’s given up a baserunner in each of his three outings, including putting at least three runners on in two of the three showings. Perhaps even worse, he’s walked four batters and struck out just one over this time.
And really, even if it’s not that bad for the rest of the season, the Tigers are quickly learning what Braves fans knew all along, that Montero can’t be relied upon.
Rafael Montero has been as unusable for Tigers as Braves fans would’ve expected
When the Braves were only mildly hamstrung by injuries and fans still had hope that the team could climb back into the playoff picture, Montero was routinely the guy that you saw the most complaints about whenever manager Brian Snitker turned to him. It worked far less often than it failed, and often put Atlanta in a worse position than when he entered the game.
Now, for the Tigers, Montero wasn’t coming in with the same expectations as someone like Finnegan. He was brought in as depth for a group that’s undeniably been thin throughout the year. At the same time, you’d hope that he wouldn’t be an active detriment to Detroit when the AL Central race is getting much tighter than expected thanks to the Guardians.
What makes it more painful, though, is that the trend of just routinely putting guys on base was something that the Tigers should’ve seen coming. Over his last six innings, which dates back to his time with the Braves, we’re now up to nine walks with just two strikeouts. It’s been trending in the wrong direction in a bad way, yet Detroit still made the addition.
Granted, all the Tigers gave up was a 24-year-old infielder posting a below-.700 OPS in Double-A this season, so it’s not like it was a horrible investment for what they gave up. It’s just a move that they might’ve simply been better off not making. And the fact that the Braves, a team well out of contention, is probably still celebrating that Montero was taken off the team, is the clearest indication that the Tigers dramatically dropped the ball with this deal.
The Braves realized that Montero simply wasn’t a usable major-league arm out of the bullpen. That’s why they were quick to take quite literally any deal they could get for him. And the Tigers have to be realizing that soon, or else they’re only going to be hurting themselves and their chances of meaningfully competing in the postseason.
