Report: Houston Astros, Rafael Montero Agree to Three-Year Free Agent Deal
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The Houston Astros recouped their biggest free agent loss Saturday morning.
Rafael Montero, who had been a mere sweetener in the Kendall Graveman trade last July, turned out to be the best player in the deal. In 2022, he pitched to a brilliant 2.37 ERA over 68.1 innings, taking over the closer role in August and September at points.
A free agent at age-32 for the second time, his bid on the open market didn't last long.
Just two days after the opening of free agency, Montero and the Astros came to an agreement on a three-year, $34.5 million deal according to Jeff Passan of ESPN.
Montero's AAV will be $11.5 million, the fifth highest active salary for a reliever in MLB, behind Edwin Díaz, Raisel Iglesias, Liam Hendricks and Ryan Pressly.
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