Thus far, this MLB trade season has been filled with a whole host of relievers being moved. This past week alone, closers Brad Hand and Jeurys Familia have been moved. They could be followed soon by Baltimore Orioles All-Star Zach Britton.
With a surplus of relievers available on the trade market ahead of the July 31 non-waiver deadline, starting pitchers have been few and far between.
That could very well change here soon. According to Ken Rosenthal of MLB.com and Fox, the Tampa Bay Rays are receiving “significant interest” for the services of two-time All-Star ace Chris Archer. It also looks like Tampa Bay could very well be open to moving the 29-year-old starter.
Sources: #Rays drawing significant interest in Chris Archer. More in this video… https://t.co/QaL8nDCD8N
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) July 21, 2018
As Rosenthal noted, Archer will need to show himself to be 100 percent after recently coming off the disabled list with an abdominal strain. In his two starts since being activated, Archer has yielded four earned runs in a combined 7.2 innings.
Under team control for the next three seasons at a combined cost of just north of $22 million, Archer’s contract is extremely valuable. Not only is it well below market, any team making a move for him wouldn’t be adding a rental. That will certainly add to the bounty Tampa Bay receives should it move the staff ace.