With the trade deadline looming, there are plenty of players in Major League Baseball who look to be out of sorts on their current teams. Chris Archer is one of these players. It seems Archer is at a point in his career where he needs a change of scenery and a fresh start. The current Tampa Bay Rays pitcher has not looked as good as he can be throughout this season. However, unlike other players who are in similar situations, Archer is on a team who has a chance, albeit a slim one, of making the postseason. More than likely, the Rays will not make it to October. However, Archer has been linked with a potential trade away from the Rays, and there are teams where he could fit in nicely and be more effective.
Potential Landing Spots for Chris Archer
The Return for Archer
Trading Archer would allow the Rays to bring in assets to add to their rebuilding roster. Archer currently is under contract through the 2019 season with team options for 2020 and 2021. Although Archer has blossomed into a great pitcher over the years with Tampa Bay, his stats do not reflect this as much. His 4.31 ERA this season is higher than the last five seasons. Sometimes he has been let down by the Rays offense, an area that needs improving, but Archer has not been the pitcher we know he can be.
With the Rays most likely looking to rebuild, they will look to get a good return for Archer. Short-term contracts with promising prospects would be good things for the Rays to take on in this process. A number of teams can offer this as they start to build up their rotations for the postseason and beyond. However, with the Rays trading starting pitcher Nathan Eovaldi to the Boston Red Sox for a higher-risk prospect in Jalen Beeks, a substantial return for their ace would be needed.
Teams in for Archer
Teams that will be interested in Archer are the teams who could do with a rotation boost, who are looking towards the post-season, like the New York Yankees, and teams who are completely rebuilding, like the San Diego Padres. With the Padres giving out big contracts of late, like what they gave to Eric Hosmer over the summer, they are a team who would potentially take on Archer’s contract to give them much needed pitching. This is a situation that Tampa Bay could take advantage of while looking for a return – trying to gather prospects which wouldn’t be available elsewhere.
The links between Archer and the Yankees are a bit unusual but it’s something that could happen, as the Yankees have gone pitcher-mad in their attempt to take the AL East from the Boston Red Sox. Adding a proven pitcher, who could potentially thrive in a new environment and in the Bronx, would take their rotation to the next level. Adding Archer to Luis Severino, C.C. Sabathia and Masahiro Tanaka, along with their elite bullpen, would really round off their roster for their postseason run.
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