*Photo from the Cincinnati Enquirer*
The Tampa Bay Rays needed a starting pitcher, so they turned to a familiar face. The Rays have signed RHP Chris Archer to a one year, $6.5 million contract, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan. There are also some incentives in Archer's deal. The Rays have confirmed the deal.
Archer's last healthy season was in 2019, where he had lots of struggles with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Archer posted just a 3-9 record with a 5.19 ERA, striking out 143 hitters in 119 2/3 innings pitched across 23 starts with the Pirates. In Archer's 8 big league seasons, he has a 60-80 record with a 3.86 ERA, throwing 1,235 innings over 212 games, with 210 of them being starts.
Archer was a centerpiece in an infamous trade swung by the Rays at the 2018 trade deadline with the Pirates. Archer was dealt to Pittsburgh in exchange for OF Austin Meadows and pitchers Tyler Glasnow and Shane Baz. After arriving in Pittsburgh, archer struggled immensely, dealing with bad performances and injuries, undergoing surgery that caused him to miss the 2020 season. Meadows and Glasnow, on the other hand, have turned into superstars with the Rays, and Baz is working his way toward the major leagues.
Archer talked about what the Rays have done since he was traded, saying that "Seeing the things they’ve done the last two years really, really excited me. The No. 1 thing I wanted to do was play for a contender, play for a contender in a really strong division and play somewhere that would give me the best opportunity to be me and do me. Tampa checks all those boxes."
The Rays had been looking for another pitcher this offseason after Charlie Morton signed with the Atlanta Braves in free agency and they traded Blake Snell to the San Diego Padres. They had been pursuing Corey Kluber and Jameson Taillon, who both ended up with the Yankees.
Archer talked about being able to contend with the Rays, saying that "I want to be a part of the fun. I want to be a part of the magic. I'm really looking forward to getting in the locker room. I know what the goal is. When I was there in the past, we had different goals. But there’s only one goal, to win those two last games of the season. So, I can’t wait to be a part of that."
Archer has had his fair share of injuries since being traded to the Pirates, dealing with right thumb inflammation, hernia surgery, right shoulder inflammation, and thoracic outlet surgery, which is what kept Archer sidelined in the 2020 campaign. Since that time, Archer appears fully healthy and ready to go for spring training, which starts in around two weeks.
Archer and Michael Wacha are the new additions to the Rays starting rotation this offseason, and their rotation is expected to feature Glasnow, Ryan Yarbrough, Archer, Wacha, and guys like Shane McClanahan, Brendan McKay, Luis Patino, and Josh Fleming also in the mix for some innings.
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