Sources: Astros giving Montero 3 years, $34.5M

Reliever Rafael Montero agreed to a three-year, $34.5 cardinal declaration that volition bring the right-hander backmost to the Houston Astros' ascendant bullpen a week aft the squad rode its pitching unit to a World Series title, sources acquainted with the woody told ESPN.

Montero, 32, thrived successful his archetypal afloat play with the Astros, posting a 2.37 ERA successful 68⅓ innings and allowing conscionable 3 location runs portion striking retired 73. The woody came unneurotic connected a transformative Friday for the Astros, who saw wide manager James Click cull a one-year contract from proprietor Jim Crane and permission the organization.

Re-signing Montero deepens an Astros bullpen that already volition instrumentality person Ryan Pressly, right-handed flamethrowers Ryne Stanek and Bryan Abreu, and coagulated righties Hector Neris and Phil Maton. It likewise continues the aboriginal inclination successful escaped bureau of precocious salaries for alleviation pitchers, aft the New York Mets signed Edwin Diaz to a five-year, $102 cardinal declaration and San Diego gave right-hander Robert Suarez a five-year woody worthy $46 million.

Houston acquired Montero successful a July 2021 commercialized from the Seattle Mariners and watched him blossom into the hardest-throwing mentation of himself yet, with a fastball that averaged 96.5 mph. Of the remaining relievers disposable successful escaped agency, Montero topped a fig of teams' lists.

The declaration is simply a stake connected Montero's 2022 much than his erstwhile seasons. Once a well-regarded starting-pitching prospect, Montero bounced from the Mets to the Texas Rangers to the Mariners earlier landing successful Houston, wherever helium allowed 2 runs successful 9⅓ innings this postseason and struck retired 10.

With a ground-ball complaint of greater than 50% and precocious strikeout numbers, Montero was bound to make wide involvement and took vantage of it with a woody that exceeded industrywide expectations. In 182 vocation games, Montero has a 4.43 ERA arsenic a reliever and struck retired 213 successful 201⅓ innings.