Recent MLB Trade Rumors have the Los Angeles Dodgers looking to land Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Chris Archer.
Short on starting pitching, the Los Angeles Dodgers are reportedly looking into some outside reinforcements, and Tampa Bay Rays RHP Chris Archer may be their man. According to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe, “The Dodgers have been sniffing hard on Archer but have been rebuffed so far.”
The Dodgers were already short in the rotation, with an injury to ace Clayton Kershaw not helping anything out at all. Kershaw is the best pitcher in baseball, and simply having him at the top of the rotation hides some of the other Dodgers’ holes.
That being said, with or without Kershaw, the Dodgers need significant help in the rotation if they truly expect to compete for a World Series crown in 2016. Archer is having a down season, but his pure ability would be a significant improvement to the Dodgers’ starting staff.
The obvious connection here is Dodgers’ president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman who is extremely familiar with Archer from his time as Rays’ general manager. Friedman was in charge of the Rays’ front office when the team acquired Archer as the center piece of the Matt Garza trade with the Chicago Cubs in 2011.
Archer has been the ace of the Rays’ staff for the past few years, but has struggled through his 18 starts this season, posting a less than stellar 4.50 ERA. Archer is extremely talented, but his struggles this season are certainly concerning.
The talented Archer will likely turn things around sooner rather than later, but Friedman and the Dodgers can forget about getting him for a discounted price because of his first-half struggles. The 27-year-old Archer is still under an affordable contract with the Rays through 2019 with two option years behind that.
The always cost-concise Rays will undoubtedly hold Archer in a high regard. The Dodgers have a loaded system and can certainly afford to give the Rays what they want for Archer, but will they be willing to pay up? Only time will tell.
This could be a trade that would make sense for both sides.
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