Tampa Bay Rays: Revisiting the Tyler Glasnow trade

The Tampa Bay Rays fleeced the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2018 when they acquired Tyler Glasnow as part of the Chris Archer deal

At the 2018 trade deadline, the Pittsburgh Pirates decided to trade for starting pitcher Chris Archer. Although they were supposed to be sellers at the deadline, but they got on a hot streak which gave them hopes of competing.

The Tampa Bay Rays received two players that are playing in the current World Series, Tyler Glasnow and Austin Meadows. Looking at the trade now, you have to chuckle. But two years ago, it seems to be more of a fair trade.

Archer was 29 years old in 2018, and he had made two All-Star appearances. He was outstanding from 2013-2015 where his ERA hovered around 3.25. His electric fastball and high strikeout rate were intriguing for many, and the Pirates wanted him.

The Pirates wanted to bolster their starting rotation during the 2018 season and Archer was a great option, despite the high demands of the Rays. Archer also had a club friendly deal which included team options for 2020 and 2021. So, from the Pirates perspective, Archer was not a short term loan but rather an asset that was to stay and pair nicely with the young Jameson Taillon.

Now for the Rays, they acquired two prospects from the Pirates who had some big league time already under their belts. Meadows was 23 years old and was making his major league debut in 2018. He was hitting .292 with the Pirates before being traded, so he was showing a lot of potential.

Glasnow, on the other hand, had struggled in his MLB appearances up until the trade. The starting pitcher was 24 years old when traded to the Rays and made his debut in 2016. He was also a highly respected prospect like Meadows but his stuff was not clicking yet with the Pirates. It might have decreased his value and I suspect the Pirates were worried about whether he would be able to find his way.

After the trade, Archer struggled to get back to his outstanding performances as a young big league starter. He finished 2018 with a 4.30 ERA, and in 2019, he posted a 5.19 ERA. And Archer did not pitch in the shortened 2020 season after undergoing surgery to relieve thoracic outlet syndrome.

For the Rays, Meadows and Glasnow have been everything they could have asked for. The outfielder made the All-Star team in 2019 with a .291 average, .922 OPS, 33 home runs, and 89 RBIs. To top it off, he finished 14th in AL MVP voting. Meadows has struggled in the 2020 regular season and postseason, but it doesn’t matter as much when you are competing for a ring.

Glasnow also turned out great for the Tampa Bay Rays and was the starting pitcher for game one of the World Series yesterday. He has dealt with some injuries and finished 2019 with a 1.78 ERA and a 11.3 K/9. In the 2020 regular season, Glasnow pitched a 4.08 ERA and struck out 91 over 57.1 innings pitched.

In this postseason, Glasnow has been alright but his stuff is electric. There is no doubt about the bright future of the 27 year old flame thrower and his continued successes alongside his trade partner Austin Meadows.

I expect Glasnow to pitch better in his next outing because he had a poor outing in game one.