Rafael Montero Landing Spots: 3 ideal teams for World Series champion bullpen arm after $34.5M deal ends with Tigers stint

Rafael Montero is back in free agency again, and by now his story is familiar across the league. He’s been part of Houston’s title run, moved through multiple contenders, held bullpens together during rough stretches, and now returns to the market after wrapping up 2025 with the Tigers.

His numbers this past season weren’t electric from April to October, but his stretch in Detroit was exactly the reset he needed: cleaner innings, better rhythm, and just enough swing-and-miss to keep him relevant in a bullpen market that dries up fast.

He’s the classic short-term bullpen add: experienced, postseason-tested, capable of missing bats when the slider is working, and trusted enough to take the ball in tight seventh and eighth innings.

At 35, he might not be getting multiyear deals. But he is getting calls, especially from teams that need grown-up innings in the late part of the game without taking on big contracts. Here are three teams that make the most sense.

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#1. Arizona Diamondbacks

If there’s a team that badly needs steady bullpen help, it’s Arizona. The Diamondbacks blew far too many late leads and never settled on a dependable setup arm.

Montero gives them exactly what they’ve been missing: a veteran who’s pitched deep into October, can handle the seventh or eighth without drama, and doesn’t need weeks of runway to be effective.

Arizona likes short, low-cost bullpen deals with upside. Montero is the perfect version of that.

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#2. New York Yankees

The Yankees chase bullpen help every single winter, and they’re coming off another season where late innings felt unpredictable. They don’t need Montero closing games.

They need someone who can take tough pockets against good right-handed hitters, handle the New York noise, and give their bullpen structure instead of chaos.

A one-year deal with incentives and high-leverage usage is exactly how the Yankees operate and Montero slides right into that blueprint.

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#3. San Diego Padres

San Diego has the offense to compete again, but their bullpen cost them more games than they’d like to admit. Montero gives them a steady, trustworthy option in the middle and late innings.

He won’t fix everything, but he will prevent innings from unraveling something the Padres badly lacked at times in 2025.

Petco Park also helps pitchers who rely on command and mixing speeds, which fits Montero’s profile now.