It is a start. The Atlanta Braves have been varying shades of putrid through the first two weeks of the season. They are fresh off their second most glorious win of the season, having won two of three since their absolutely dreadful 0-7 start. To date, no team has ever started the year out 0-7 and qualified for the postseason. That being said, I fully expect for Brian Snitker's team to be the first.
Since Atlanta Braves Holdings/Liberty Media did not step up to the plate with heaping piles of cash for general manager Alex Anthopoulos to strike deals with, the Braves are stuck trading for a depreciated asset before the start of The Masters. On Tuesday, Atlanta acquired Houston Astros reliever Rafael Montero for an undisclosed amount of money. He was great in 2022, so there is that!
Snitker's comments on the 34-year-old relief pitcher actually have me excited about the trade now.
“They say he’s been throwing the ball well and he’s got experience. You get excited when you get a guy like that. Hopefully, we can help him get back to where he was.”
Montero was a vibrant part of the Astros' World Series champion bullpen back in 2002. Unfortunately, his dominance from the mound did not follow him into the 2023 or 2024 MLB seasons. With Houston teetering on potentially undergoing its biggest rebuilding process since 2012, it seems as though general manager Dana Brown is more than willing to sell off assets, especially to his former employer.
Little by little, the Braves need to find ways to get themselves out of the hole the dug themselves in.
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What Rafael Montero could provide for the Atlanta Braves bullpen
The two things Montero can provide the Braves bullpen right away with is a lively fastball and plenty of big-game experience. Having been part of the Astros the last several years means postseason baseball is just a prerequisite for playing there. To be totally transparent, Houston has not been the same team since winning the 2022 Fall Classic. The same principle has applied to Montero as well.
For a team that lost key pitchers in its relief corps like A.J. Minter and Tyler Matzek to free agency, as well as Joe Jimenez to a major injury, that is putting even more pressure on guys like Aaron Bummer and Pierce Johnson to be the guys to get it to Raisel Iglesias in the ninth. Any boost to the Atlanta bullpen is a boost for the entire team. This is all about protecting leads the inconsistent offense gets.
Ultimately, every move that Anthopoulos makes has to be methodical going forward. He has to win with both of his hands tied behind his back. As for Snitker, he has to be all-in on this team. We have to wonder how many more years he is going to keep doing this? This is not the start to the year Braves Country wanted, but this team is still immensely talented and we have 5.5 months of baseball left.
Montero does make the Braves' bullpen better, but he is not panacea to what is ailing this franchise.