Houston Astros Urged to Move on from Struggling Reliever

The Houston Astros are now being urged to move on from another struggling player.

May 14, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Astros relief pitcher Rafael Montero (47) reacts after retiring the side against the Oakland Athletics during the sixth inning at Minute Maid Park. / Erik Williams-USA TODAY Sports

The Houston Astros have become a team to keep a close eye on recently. With a recent winning streak, the Astros are back in serious playoff contention.

It has been a rollercoaster year for Houston. Despite many different injuries and tons of adversity, the team has found ways to overcome and have kept themselves in the race.

Tough decisions have been made along the way. One of them was parting ways with veteran first baseman Jose Abreu. He struggled mightily to get things going offensively and the team opted to cut ties with him and move on.

Now, there is another player who the Astros are being urged to move on from.

Eric Cole of the Houston website Climbing Tal's Hill, has suggested that the team should move on from relief pitcher Rafael Montero.

"In short, having Montero on the roster is a mess, and the financial side of it should basically be considered a sunk cost. Houston needs actual bullpen depth if they are going to continue their season turnaround and Montero just isn't it. Unfortunately, that process can only begin by getting rid of him altogether."

Throughout the course of the 2024 MLB season, Montero has pitched in 37 games. He has compiled a 1-2 record to go along with a 4.46 ERA, a 1.37 WHIP, a 1.5 K/BB ratio, 10 holds, and three blown saves, while completing 34.1 innings.

Clearly, there have been some struggles along the way this season.

The question really becomes, is there a chance that Montero can turn things around? Or, has he truly become a deadweight for the Astros?

He struggled mightily during the 2023 season as well. In that campaign, he recorded a 5.08 ERA, a 1.53 WHIP, 10 holds, and five blown saves in 67.1 innings.

Unfortunately, it does appear that he is not turning things around since his impressive 2022 season. He is becoming one of those players who plays well enough to get a big contract and then falls off.

All of that being said, Houston will have to make a lot of tough decisions. With the 2024 MLB trade deadline coming up later this month, they could have a lot of moves brewing on the horizon.

Expect to continue hearing rumors come out about the Astros. Montero could very well end up being on his way out of town, one way or another, in the near future.