Chris Archer

Trade Talk: Rays’ Chris Archer attracting attention around contenders

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With 8 days until the MLB Trade deadline, there are still pivotal players up for grabs. Superstar third baseman, Manny Machado, was nabbed by the Los Angeles Dodgers last week, and Jeurys Familia was traded from the Mets to the Athletics. The Dominican Republican adds a power arm and World Series experience to this A’s ballclub. Trades at this time of year can be season defining. With that in mind, let’s take a look at Chris Archer, who appears to be next in line to be traded away from the Tampa Bay Rays.

The two-time All-Star has always been close to reaching elite status. His potential is evidenced through his exceptional strikeout tally of 1,143. To put it simply, he’s a strikeout machine.

Despite that, Archer boasts a poor total win/loss record at 54-67, which is contributed to by his knack for giving up runs. Not to forget poor run support from his teammates. In addition, the Rays’ pitcher has a poor ERA over 162 games played with a high 3.69 on average.

Yankees favourites to land Archer

At this moment, the New York Yankees lead the race to land Archer.

On 22nd July, the Rays walked it off 6-4 against the Miami Marlins. Archer pitched 6 solid innings, validitating his talent in front of scouts from many contenders by notching 13 strikeouts, which is a season high. Scouts of the Arizona Diamondbacks, the LA Dodgers and most notably the Bronx Bombers were in attendance. Archer’s performance no-doubt impressed. Something that MLB analyst, Bob Nightingale, also alluded to:

       

On the other hand, this isn’t the first year trade talk has been around Archer. His lowly contract ($27.5 million over three years) is an added bonus for a team hoping to rebuild. Also, it is unlikely that the Rays would be willing to trade a key piece to a divisional rival.

Regardless of where Archer ends up, one of his largest assets has always been his attitude to the game and his team. When questioned about his exquisite performance against the Marlins and “what he was most pleased with”, he credited Adam Moore, catcher, for the masterclass he put on. Stating: “He (Adam Moore) installed some confidence and conviction in me..he was great back there, and he’s a big reason I had the game that I had.”

Demonstrating further the true class act that he is.

In conclusion, it’s uncertain whether Archer will be traded this season. This mainly is due to the fact that selling a strong player to a divisional rival would be a hefty gamble to take, especially considering his healthy contract which sees the ace signed until 2021. In spite of that, a franchise with a “win now” mentality, may be willing to take a risk in order to reap greater rewards later in the season. Archer is certainly a piece which will elevate any roster in the MLB, however, only time will tell if a team can fit his bill.