Struggling former Mets player on a $34.5 million contract sent to the minors

For the second straight year, former New York Mets pitcher Rafael Montero isn’t getting the job done. A rousing success for the Houston Astros in their 2022 championship season, he got himself a hefty three-year $34.5 contract only weeks later. Paid $11.5 million per season, it’s one of the biggest deals for a relief pitcher and he isn’t even the team’s closer.

Montero pitched to a 2.37 ERA in 68.1 innings of work for Houston in 2022. Awesome in the World Series as well, they foolishly bought into what Mets fans knew long ago when he was being praised as the better pitching prospect than Jacob deGrom.

The Astros DFA’d Montero last week and after passing through waivers, he accepted a minor league assignment to Triple-A. It’s a win for the franchise who would have to pay him either way. Perhaps he can figure things out.

The Astros got a taste of bad free agency with former Mets pitcher Rafael Montero

This year has been worse than last even with the ERA slightly down. At 3-3 with a 5.08 ERA last year, Montero was at least striking batters out. This year he has fanned just 23 in 38.1 innings of work. His 4.70 ERA is ugly. His 6.40 FIP suggests luck has been on his side.

Montero is one of many failed starters who successfully reinvented themselves as bullpen weapons. His time with the Mets included 30 starts and another 28 relief appearances from 2014-2017. Poor health and even poorer performances on the field had them releasing the once-promising pitcher after the 2018 season.

Montero immediately turned things around in 2019 when he had a strong 29 innings in relief for the Texas Rangers. A 2.48 ERA and strikeout rate of 10.6 per 9 while walking just 1.6 per, he was fast-tracking his way toward becoming one of the better relievers in baseball.

He was more average in the shortened 2020 season and terrible for the Seattle Mariners to start the 2021 campaign. Finishing off the year with Houston by tossing 6 scoreless, he apparently had just the 2022 season left in the tank.

Montero is the second highly-paid free agent signing by the Astros to get sent to the minors this year. Jose Abreu, now a free agent, limped his way to a demotion. He was another free agent bust of the Astros after their 2022 championship season. The power decline from 2022 continued and his OPS dropped from .824 to .680. This season, he finished batting .124/.167/.195 for the Astros in 120 plate appearances.

It hasn't been a glorious week for ex-Mets. J.D. Davis was released. Paul Sewald was removed from the closer's role. Pete Crow-Armstrong made a costly error.