Before the Tigers made the questionable choice to trade for him at the deadline, Rafael Montero was quite literally one of the least valuable relievers in baseball. He had a 5.40 ERA between the Astros and the Braves this season and a 4.94 ERA over 2023 and 2024 in Houston. His miraculous 2.37 ERA during the 2022 season, the last time the Astros won the World Series, looked like a complete flash in the pan.
His first few appearances with the Tigers didn't disprove the working theory that Scott Harris was grossly mistaken to take a chance on Montero.