Have we seen the last of Chris Archer in a Rays uniform?
We may have seen the last of Chris Archer in a Rays uniform last night as the trading deadline approaches on Tuesday.
The Padres, Yankees, Indians and Red Sox are all interested in Archer and he can be had if the price is right.
It’s no secret that the Rays are wanting to cut salary, and with Archer just signing a 6yr/$25Million contract 2 years ago, his salary will gradually increase over the next two years.
Archer will make $6.5 Million this year, 7.5 Million next year and in 2020, followed by 2 Years at $8.5 Million before his contract expires at the end of the 2022 season.
Since his all-star year appearance in 2017, Archer has struggled with his consistency and has been surpassed by Blake Snell as the ace of this Rays team.
The one thing that Archer has going for him is his durability. Outside of a stint on the DL earlier this season, Archer is very durable and is usually goof for 200 plus innings a season.
Archer has been very inconsistent this season going 3-5 with a 4.31 ERA, but has had that one inning in almost every game where he gives up 3-4 runs that ends up costing the Rays a win.
Archer is no longer the ace of the staff and would be at best a second or third starter on a playoff contender. if traded to the Padres, Archer may walk into that clubhouse and be the ace of that staff due to the Padres poor pitching.
I think Archer has pitched his last game in Tampa Bay as a Ray, and the Rays will get a bunch of good young prospects in any deal for Archer.
The process of stock-piling prospects has already started with a couple of trades last week. Matt Andriese was dealt to Arizona in exchange for C Martin Perez and P Brian Shaffer. Perez has already made his Rays debut. Jesus Sucre and Perez will handle the catching duties. Shaffer is in Class A and is a few years away from making the MLB club.
Nathan Eovaldi was also traded last week going to the Red Sox in exchange for LP Jalen Beeks. Beeks made his MLB debut earlier this season and it did not go well as he sported an ERA of over 12.00. Beeks was scheduled to make his Rays debut against Baltimore on Saturday Night.
The Rays will continue to wheel and deal and will be extremely active as the Tuesday deadline approaches. Wilson Ramos, Adeiny Hechavarria and Sergio Romo are three of the current Rays that I think have the best chance of being traded.
These last 2 months of the season should be very interesting for the Rays. if you want to see a lot of the young kids learn and develop at the big league level, you will enjoy the last two months. If you want to see the Rays win and be competitive these last two months, your frustration level will be real high as there will be wins than losses at Tropicana Field.
