If the Tampa Bay Rays trade Chris Archer, where could he go?
The 2017 Tampa Bay Rays quietly finished 80-82 which was good enough for third place in the American League East. They did so without much fanfare or faith from the public. As they continue to lean toward returning to the postseason, they have a tough decision to face this offseason: do they trade Chris Archer?
Archer is affordable, talented, and a face of this franchise. Although his last two seasons haven’t been nearly as great as they were from 2013-2015, there’s a lot to love about him.
In 2017, Archer went 10-12 with a 4.07 ERA. A year prior he went 9-19 with a 4.02 ERA. While these numbers have certainly hurt his trade value, Archer posted fantastic strikeout numbers and limited his walks to career-bests in 2017. He might not have the same elite numbers as others. However, he’s still someone many competitive teams are dying to have.
In the right environment, Archer could do even better. He has pitched 200+ innings in each of the last three seasons, proving that even when the numbers aren’t up to par, he’s at least taking the field. Sometimes showing up adds, even more, value than raw talent.
For two years Archer has been among the leaders in innings pitched and strikeouts. He has yet to put together a solid season with wins dominating his stat sheet, but much of that is due to his own team’s struggles. If backed by a better offense and a more stable bullpen, many of his league-leading 19 losses in 2016 would’ve gone as wins or no-decisions.
That’s the past, and as we look at Archer’s future, I see a future for him with any of these teams.