The Detroit Tigers have made a trade. They dealt utility infield prospect Jim Jarvis to the Atlanta Braves for 34-year-old veteran right-hander, Rafael Montero. The reliever had some good years from 2017-2022, but has really struggled the last three seasons. His 3.88 FIP this year says he’s been better than his 5.40 ERA, but unless the Tigers can magically transform him, Montero is just a possibility for middle relief and probably a specialist against right-handed hitters.
Montero has made one adjustment
to his game this year that probably intrigues the Tigers. He added an 88 mph split-finger fastball that is drawing a 35.1 percent whiff rate so far this season. That is helping him handle lefties a little better, but command is still a work in progress, as evidenced by Montero’s 13.9 percent walk rate this season. Paired with a 95 mph riding fourseamer from a pretty low release point, and you do have the ingredients of a quality reliever, but not really a guy who looks like he’s going to return to setup duty after the past couple of years in the wilderness.
Montero is basically a two-pitch pitcher with those two offerings now, and is using his sweeping slider just 7 percent of the time. He holds a solid 23.5 percent strikeout rate, and has been able to deal with the major home run trouble that has left him a replacement level pitcher the past two seasons. However, the walk rate has been such a problem this year that he’s still been worth 0.0 fWAR this year.
Hopefully this isn’t the only move forthcoming.
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
As for Jarvis, he’s a decent fringe prospect who puts the ball in play a ton and has some speed. He just doesn’t have the juice to ever crack the major leagues without a major overhaul and a good deal more muscle. Even then his ceiling is short of a Zach McKinstry type player. He’s a pretty good defender at second and third base, but has struggled with errors at the shortstop position though he does have the agility, hands, and arm strength to play just about anywhere on the field.
In short, the Tigers didn’t really give up anything much here, and it’s kind of just one step above a waiver claim. Montero has surrendered eight earned runs in his last four appearances, so he may have been bound for release if no one came calling to flip a fringe prospect and take on the remainder of his $11.5M salary. This is the last of a three-year deal signed with the Houston Astros prior to the 2023 campaign. The Braves traded for him to help a pretty decimated bullpen back in early April, and it never worked out.
The trade deadline is 6:00 p.m. ET on Thursday. The Tigers are still said to be heavily engaged in a lot of conversations, but we’ll have to wait and see if there’s anything of more substance coming tomorrow.
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