Pittsburgh Pirates add for present and future with Chris Archer

The Pittsburgh Pirates were the surprising winners of the Chris Archer Sweepstakes. This is a move that sets the stage for success over the long term.

Amongst starting pitchers that were hypothetically available, Chris Archer was the biggest prize. He was a two time All Star, a workhorse that had thrown a total of 809 innings over the past four seasons heading into 2018. Even though his 41-53 record and 3.66 ERA may not appear to be the stuff of an ace, Archer had pitched much better than those numbers would indicate. It was not a surprise that he was the most coveted, and oft-rumored, pitcher over the past few years.

Finally, the Chris Archer Sweepstakes has come to an end. The Tampa Bay Rays surprisingly moved Archer to the  Pittsburgh Pirates, who have been quite active at the deadline. In exchange for their new ace, the Pirates have sent Tyler Glasnow, Austin Meadows, and a player to be named later.

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Archer provides the Pirates with the type of pitcher they need, regardless of what his numbers this season may say. He has a disappointing 4.31 ERA and a 1.385 WHiP in his 96 innings this season. However, he has a track record of success and durability. As the Pirates themselves pointed out on Twitter, only Max Scherzer has made more starts since the start of 2014. In that time frame, only Scherzer, Chris Sale, and Corey Kluber have more strikeouts. Archer also ranks eighth in the majors in innings since 2015. This is the type of workhorse the Pirates needed in their quest to return to the postseason this year.

This is also a move that sets Pittsburgh up for the coming years as well. Archer is not just a rental piece, as he is under team control through 2021. Those next three seasons are quite affordable, and will cost the Pirates under $28 million. That is certainly a bargain for the type of pitcher that Archer can be, as well as what he could mean to the morale of the franchise this season.

Pittsburgh also did not give up much from their future core to acquire Archer. While Meadows and Glasnow are pieces that will help the Rays, both players had seemingly lost their luster in the Pirates’ system. Meadows was buried in his path to the Majors, and Pittsburgh has a great deal of outfield depth at the minor league level as well. In his limited action at the major league level this season, Meadows has performed well, producing a .292/.327/.468 batting line with five homers and four steals.

Glasnow was a former top prospect, but has struggled to make a mark at the major league level. He has battled command issues throughout his time as a professional, and those have limited his success in Pittsburgh. Over the parts of three seasons he has spent with the Pirates, Glasnow has produced a 5.79 ERA and a 1.705 WHiP, striking out 152 batters in his 141.1 innings, but issuing 91 walks as well. The Pirates had converted Glasnow to the bullpen this season, where he has had a bit of success, but is still fighting his command.

It will be interesting to see what role the Rays envision for Glasnow moving forward. Due to injuries and their penchant for the “opener” role, the Rays do not have an actual starting pitcher listed on their depth chart. Glasnow could, in theory, move back to the rotation, but it may not matter considering how the Rays utilize their pitching staff.

The Pittsburgh Pirates made a huge splash at the trade deadline in acquiring Chris Archer from the Tampa Bay Rays. This move will not only help this season, but it will give the Pirates a top of the rotation starter for the next few years as well.