The Detroit Tigers made their third notable trade of the week by acquiring veteran reliever Rafael Montero from the Atlanta Braves, trading minor-league infielder Jim Jarvis in return. The transaction took place just hours before the MLB trade deadline, adding Montero as a bullpen option for Detroit’s postseason push. Atlanta, meanwhile, adds infield depth with Jarvis and continues its bullpen reshuffle ahead of Thursday’s deadline at 6 p.m. ET.
At 34, Montero brings 360 career MLB appearances, including 15 postseason outings, and was part of the 2022 Astros World Series-winning bullpen. In contrast, Jarvis shortstop utility standout–is currently in Double-A and not listed among Detroit’s top 30 prospects. The Braves hope his defensive versatility will pay dividends in their minor-league ranks.
Why the Tigers Made the Move
Montero enters Detroit with a 5.40 ERA across 39 relief appearances between Houston and Atlanta in 2025, along with 39 strikeouts, a 3.88 FIP, and a 23.5% strikeout rate. Though his ERA is alarming, underlying metrics suggest better performance–especially his chase rate (32.2%) and whiff rate (28.9%), both in the 70th+ percentile. He has also recently added an 88 mph split-finger fastball yielding a 35.1% whiff rate to complement his 95 mph fastball from a low release point.
Montero has a 5.40 ERA in 38.1 IP. Here he is back in 2022, where he had a 2.37 ERA over 68.1 IP.
The potential is there.
Detroit sees a reclamation project with upside: a high-strikeout veteran without overwhelming financial cost in Jim Jarvis, who’s not considered a high ceiling prospect. The Tigers absorbed Montero’s remaining $11.5M salary, but minimal injury risk and bullpen need made it worthwhile at the deadline.
Mixed Results in Atlanta
Montero’s time in Atlanta was disappointing–he posted a 5.50 ERA, 4.08 FIP, and ultimately produced 0.0 fWAR across 36 appearances and 34.1 innings pitched. His worst stretch came in July, when he struggled to a 10.61 ERA over 10 appearances, solidifying his expendability to a contender like the Braves.
Still, Atlanta continues to offload relievers from their deadline roster. Players like Raisel Iglesias and Pierce Johnsonremain possible trades targets, depending on market interest and contract situations. For Montero, this marks yet another change in a tumultuous season: he began in Houston, spent April and much of the summer in Atlanta, and now heads to Detroit.
What It Means for Detroit’s Bullpen
The Tigers enter the final stretch of the season with playoff aspirations, and a bullpen that’s been inconsistent. Montero’s veteran presence offers a matchup specialist against right-handed hitters, while also allowing for rotation of younger relievers in lower leverage roles.
“I’m very unmoved by this,” media personality Chris Castellani said. “Performance matters. I wasn’t particularly moved by the Paddack trade, but he was great today…To grade these trades on an individual basis, it’s almost a little bit silly. I need to see what the entire deadline looks like for the Tigers, because if this is the fourth best move that they make, I’ll look at it and say, ‘okay, it’s a depth piece.'”
Detroit has already executed other notable deals: they added starter Chris Paddack and reliever Randy Dobnak, signaling aggressive deadline activity focused around pitching depth and rotation support. Montero adds another arm into that mix, reinforcing their strategic shift toward reliability and flexibility.
This trade aligns with the Tigers’ overall deadline posture–low-risk, high-reward additions to support a playoff push while maintaining prospect capital. Montero provides familiar postseason experience and solid underlying metrics; Jarvis gives Atlanta another infield piece of organizational depth. Detroit may not have landed a marquee arm, but sometimes quantity and role fit matter more than flash.
Tigers Acquire Bullpen Help From Braves in Latest Deadline Deal