MLB trade market loses another starting pitcher

MLB teams looking for starting pitching help have suffered another blow. Chris Archer’s injury will take him off the market ahead of the deadline.

There are quite a few teams looking to acquire starting pitching ahead of the MLB trade deadline. Unfortunately, there isn’t a ton of help out there on the market. The recent injury to Rays’ starter Chris Archer is going to make it even more difficult for contenders to acquire meaningful rotation help.

Archer has been on the DL since June 5, but he was originally slated to throw a simulated game today as part of his rehab process. Those plans have been scrapped. Apparently his strained abdominal muscle hasn’t recovered well enough for him to take that step.

The talented right hander hasn’t been dominant for the Rays this year, but he’s been pretty good. His ERA of 4.24 in 13 starts this year would be an attractive commodity for a lot of teams. The bar for starting pitching help is pretty low at the moment.

Unfortunately for Tampa Bay’s hopes of making a deal, Archer is going to be hard pressed to recover in time to be moved before the July 31 trade deadline. He might be back on the mound for the Rays by then, but contending teams won’t get much of a chance to see how he looks after his injury before needing to make a move.

It’s not impossible he could still move before the deadline though. That’s just how thin the market for starting pitching is at the moment. Depending on which teams stay in contention, there may only be a handful of league average starters available via trade. If that comes to pass, even a quality start or two from Archer post-injury might be enough to convince another team to take a chance on acquiring him.

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Chris Archer will face a race against time to get himself healthy in time to be a key trade target. The Rays, and a host of contenders certainly hope he can make it back in time.