Report: Tampa Bay Rays agree to 6-year contract extension with Chris Archer

Mar 14, 2014; Lake Buena Vista, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Chris Archer (22) throws a pitch during the first inning against the Atlanta Braves at Champion Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /

Early on Wednesday morning, the Tampa Bay Rays announced that they had scheduled a press conference for a “baseball-related announcement” at noon, but before they had a chance to break news themselves, FOX’s Ken Rosenthal swooped in with a report surrounding starting pitcher Chris Archer.

Sources: #Rays agree to six-year extension with RHP Chris Archer in range of $25M. Deal begins this season and includes two club options.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) April 2, 2014

Rosenthal indicates that the 25-year-old Archer has agreed to a contract extension that would buy out his arbitration years, and as usual, it looks as if the Rays got a marked bargain. In his age-24 season in 2013, Archer achieved 1.2 fWAR in only 128.2 innings, as he posted a 3.22 ERA with solid peripherals, and while he was certainly a bit lucky (4.07 FIP), there is real talent there.

We likely won’t receive “official” word on this extension until the noon press conference takes place, but this move seems to make all kinds of sense for Tampa Bay, and if it plays out, they have secured the services of a high-upside right-hander for a bargain basement cost. In addition, this certainly places a bit of added emphasis on Archer’s first start of 2014, as he is set to make his season debut on Thursday against the Toronto Blue Jays. Stay tuned.

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