MLB Trade Deadline 2017: 5 best spots for Chris Archer
By John Buhler
The Tampa Bay Rays look to be in the AL postseason mix, but could they sell high on pitcher Chris Archer? Here are five teams Tampa Bay could move him to.
It’s difficult to determine if the Tampa Bay Rays will be a buyer or a seller at the July 31 MLB non-waiver trade deadline. Tampa Bay may be above .500 and very much in the mix in the AL East, but this is a baseball organization that will sell high on veterans to replenish its crop of youngsters in a short-term, small market rebuild. One guy they could conceivably move is right-hander Chris Archer.
Archer is a seven-year big league veteran and a former All-Star starting pitcher for the Rays. While he usually keeps his ERA in check during his starts, he doesn’t exactly win a ton of games for the Rays. In his big league career, Archer has a solid 3.57 ERA, but only 48-56 record.
While 2016 was a rough year on the mound for him, 2017 looks to be more in line with the type of pitcher the Rays have leaned on since 2014. Through 18 starts, Archer has a 7-5 record with a 3.95 ERA, a 1.24 WHIP and 139 strike outs.
Archer’s fate with the Rays really depends on how his club performs in the next two to three weeks. He is a prime candidate for them to sell high on for future prospects if Tampa Bay’s surprisingly good 2017 MLB season takes a turn for the worse in July. Here are five teams that would have great interest in Archer before the July 31 deadline.
New York Yankees
AL, East
Would the Rays trade Archer within the division to a rival? Probably not, but if Tampa Bay is going to do that, it might end up being with the New York Yankees. New York looks to be a postseason team in the American League this year, but are losing ground on the hated Boston Red Sox in the AL East.
Boston has a four-game lead on New York through the 4th of July. Tampa Bay may only be 1.5 games worse than the Yankees, but New York is too talented to not make the postseason. The Rays will likely be happy to make the 2017 AL Wild Card Game. Winning the division would be an incredible accomplishment for this Rays team.
In essence, the reason for this trade to the Yankees would be that the men in pinstripes want to win the division over the Red Sox at all costs. Keep in mind that the last time the Yankees made the postseason, they lost at home to the Houston Astros in the 2016 AL Wild Card Game. Since its creation in 2012, losing the wild card game is about as painful of a loss as a major league team can stomach, especially if it comes at home.
Adding Archer would give the Yankees another arm in their rotation to support All-Star Luis Severino. With Archer being under contract with the Rays through the 2019 season, the Rays would be able to command a huge offer in return for their good, but not great starting pitcher from the contending Yankees.