MLB trade rumors: One player each team should target

BALTIMORE, MD - APRIL 21: Manny Machado #13 of the Baltimore Orioles looks on during the game against the Cleveland Indians at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on Saturday, April 21, 2018 in Baltimore, Maryland (Photo by Rob Tringali/SportsChrome/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Manny Machado /

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SEATTLE, WA – JUNE 02: Chris Archer #22 of the Tampa Bay Rays reacts after giving up an RBI single to Nelson Cruz #23 in the third inning to score Jean Segura #2 of the Seattle Mariners during their game at Safeco Field on June 2, 2018 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images) /

Pittsburgh Pirates

Chris Archer, SP

The Pirates surprised many with a hot start to the season. They took the initial lead of the NL Central behind the welcome surprise of Corey Dickerson’s breakout season. Now, they’ve gone cold, falling behind the Brewers, Cubs, and Cardinals.

The Pirates are now where everybody thought they would be, but they now have hope for the near future. Perhaps the rebuild won’t take as long as expected. So, if they want to be ready to compete again next year, they are going to need some help with their pitching. They’ve relied on Ray Searage to resurrect careers of veterans for too long, they need to get him some young stars.

While their entire pitching staff right now is under the age of 30, none of them have been as effective as Chris Archer. So, they can even trade one of them in order to get Archer, perhaps Chad Kuhl. Then, they would have a starting rotation with Archer, Jameson Taillon, Joe Musgrove, and Nick Kingham. That is a rotation built for the future.

Archer was dominant in the month of May. He had a 2.33 ERA and 1.06 WHIP helping him get back on track in what looked like it would be a lost season for him. Having Archer through 2021 will allow the Pirates to focus on just bringing in big hitters to back up their offense, a gesture Archer would appreciate. Somehow, in his last 7 starts, he has a 2.47 ERA but a 1-3 record.

Bringing in Chris Archer would create a pitching staff that will be force to be reckoned with for the next few years.

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