Rafael Montero Signs $34.5 Million Deal to Return to World Series Champion Astros

The World Series champions will not let one of their top relievers get away.

The Astros are signing Rafael Montero to a three-year, $34.5 million contract, ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported Saturday morning.

The right-handed Montero, a free agent and former Mets top prospect, emerged as a key piece of the Astros’ bullpen this season. The 32-year-old posted a 2.37 ERA with 73 strikeouts across 68 1/3 innings. He was one of their top setup men for closer Ryan Pressly and gave up just two runs across 9 1/3 innings during the Astros’ postseason run.

The deal comes a day after the Astros announced they had parted ways with general manager James Click, who declined a one-year contract offer from owner Jim Crane. It was not immediately clear which front-office executive is handling the baseball operations lead.

Montero landed with the Astros last July in a trade from the Mariners, at which point he owned a 7.27 ERA in 40 games on the season. Since then, he has a 2.18 ERA in 75 games as an Astro, leading the team to lock him up for three more years before another club could lure him away.