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Report: Rays listening to offers for Longoria, Archer, Colome

Adam Hunger / USA TODAY Sports

The Tampa Bay Rays appear to be seriously considering stripping down their roster this winter, as the club is now listening to trade offers for longtime third baseman Evan Longoria, right-hander Chris Archer, and closer Alex Colome, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post.

It's not clear which teams have reached out to the Rays, but Colome - who led the majors with 47 saves last year and won't be eligible for free agency until after the 2020 campaign - is the likeliest of the three to be traded.

Amid speculation over a potential rebuild in Tampa Bay, both Archer and Colome have both surfaced repeatedly in trade rumors all offseason, and the Rays' reported willingness to entertain offers for Longoria won't help dispel whispers of a teardown. Longoria, a three-time All-Star and the longest-tenured player in franchise history, also indicated earlier this week that he expects the club to shed payroll this winter.

"I think they have made it pretty clear that they want to cut salary so I guess that leaves me somewhere in limbo," Longoria told Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. "I think I've been pretty upfront about wanting to be in Tampa (Bay) for my whole career, but I realize that my window is getting smaller to win a championship.

"If they decide to rebuild completely and give everyone up then I suppose my family and I will adjust.''

Longoria, who turned 32 in October, has another five years and $86 million left on his contract. In 2017, as the Rays stumbled to a fourth straight losing season, Longoria authored his worst season in a half-decade, managing 2.5 WAR with a .737 OPS (96 wRC+) and 20 homers over 156 games. The Rays will only be able to trade him without his consent for another few months, though, as Longoria will obtain 10-and-5 rights in April.

Archer, conversely, earned his second career All-Star nod in 2017, accruing 4.6 WAR while crafting a 4.07 ERA with a 29.2 percent strikeout rate over 34 starts. The 29-year-old is set to earn roughly $14 million over the next two years, and has a $9-million team option for 2020 and an $11-million team option for the following season.

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