Tampa Bay Rays: Why the holdup in trading Chris Archer?
With the Tampa Bay Rays shipping Evan Longoria to the San Francisco Giants, what’s the hold up on trading Chris Archer?
When the Tampa Bay Rays shipped the face of their franchise Evan Longoria to the San Francisco Giants, it’s assumed that other star players would follow. Alex Colome and Chris Archer are prime suspects, with both staying pat as of now.
With about three weeks until pitchers and catchers report to their MLB teams, will Chris Archer be the next Tampa Bay Rays stud to leave sunny Florida?
#22 days until pitchers & catchers.
— Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) January 22, 2018
mood. pic.twitter.com/OmMpsIUf0d
With both the Miami Marlins and Pittsburgh Pirates acquiring next to nothing in sending their superstars away, it’s highly unlikely that Chris Archer leaves Tampa Bay. For now.
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The only team with a solid chance of snagging him is the St. Louis Cardinals.
The Redbirds have the best MLB prospects to send their way, with a handful of them ranking in the recent Baseball America top 100 Minor League Players — Alex Reyes (17), Jack Flaherty (53), Carson Kelly (55), and Tyler O’Neill (86).
The Minnesota Twins were in the mix for Archer, but their Farm System is nowhere near the caliber of the St. Louis Cardinals — Royce Lewis (24), Brent Rooker (92), Nick Gordon (93), Wander Javier (95), Stephen Gonsalves (97). The Chicago Cubs and Kansas City Royals have fallen out of favor with the Tampa Bay Rays, with zero top 100 prospects to speak of at this point.
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If the Tampa Bay Rays were wise, they would hold off on sending Alex Colome and his talents to another MLB squad. Waiting until right before the 2018 MLB trade deadline would be the perfect time to do so, where teams become more and more desperate. In doing so, the fire sale that is bound to happen, won’t hurt so severely come the 2020 season and beyond.