5 moves to make the Cardinals World Series champions

Cardinals rumors: Sign Chris Archer to boost rotation

After a season filled with health issues involving pitchers, signing a proven arm that’s seeking to re-establish himself would be just the ticket with Chris Archer.

Once traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2018, Archer struggled to regain the success he had with the Tampa Bay Rays. After taking the 2020 season off, Archer returned to the Rays in 2021 going 1-1 in six games, five of which he started. He threw 19.1 innings with 21 strikeouts. For his career, he was 61-81 with 1,254.1 innings through over nine seasons. He tossed 1,370 strikeouts in 218 games.

Archer’s pitch selection includes a four-seam fastball, a slider, and a changeup. The four-seam fastball averages 92 mph with a 13.4-inch vertical drop and an active spin of 96 percent. The slider averages 87.2 mph with a 32.8-inch vertical drop and an active spin of 36%. The changeup averages 85.5 mph with a 27-inch vertical drop and an active spin of 92 percent.

Archer could be an excellent fifth starter or an option if they want to use him in an opener situation with another arm. With a couple of off-speed pitches, it would be interesting to see how Archer would do in front of the Cardinals defense. Working with Yadier Molina might be fun to watch this summer, as well.