Chris Archer signs one-year deal to return to Tampa Bay

Veteran pitcher Chris Archer has agreed to a deal with the Rays and is all set to return to where his career started. 

Go ahead and call it a homecoming for veteran pitcher Chris Archer. On Tuesday, it’s been announced that the righty has agreed to a one-year deal with the Tampa Bay Rays. Archer had been with the Pirates since July of 2018.

Remember, Archer was traded by Tampa Bay to Pittsburgh. Now, Archer has made his free-agent decision and Rays fans are undoubtedly hyped knowing that he’ll be once again rocking the team’s jersey out on the bump.

Chris Archer is all set to return to the Tampa Bay Rays on a one-year deal

Archer got his start with Tampa Bay in 2012 and proved to be a fantastic pitcher for the club. Before he was traded to the Pirates, he was selected to pitch in the All-Star Game in both 2015 and 2017.

In that trade with Pittsburgh, Tampa Bay received Tyler Glasnow, Austin Meadows and Shane Baz. That move proved to be brilliant for the Rays, with Glasnow and Meadows both being standout players. Now, Archer is getting another shot with Tampa Bay and he’ll use it to try and get back to his old form.

During his stint with Pittsburgh, Archer most certainly struggled. He ended up going 6-12 in 33 starts and posted a concerning 4.92 ERA. While with the Rays, his ERA was 3.69. As you can see, the move to Pittsburgh wasn’t a great one for the former All-Star.

Archer won’t care about that, however. What’s in the past is something that he can forget about. Now, he’s going to re-join the AL East powerhouse where he was able to really impress a few years back. Only time will tell how this second stint with the club will work out for him.