4 teams with the pieces to land Chris Archer
Let's be perfectly clear: The Tampa Bay Rays should not, and will not, be in a hurry to trade ace right-hander Chris Archer.
The Rays have Archer locked into a sweetheart contract that pays him roughly $14 million over the next two seasons with a $9-million team option for 2020 and an $11-million option for 2021. Barring a buyout, Archer will earn $34 million over the next four seasons - exactly how much the Arizona Diamondbacks are paying Zack Greinke in 2018 alone.
So, while reports are surfacing that the Rays are engaged in consistent trade talks regarding the righty, it will take a pretty steep package to pry him from their clutches. This means the Seattle Mariners, who desperately need starting pitching, are likely on the outs after Baseball America named their farm system the worst in baseball.
In terms of more realistic suitors, who best fits the bill?
St. Louis Cardinals
Archer went 10-12 with a 4.07 ERA and 1.26 WHIP in 2017, which is hardly elite on the surface. But his 3.40 FIP suggests he, at least partially, suffered from some bad luck along the way. More encouraging was his career-best 11.1 K/9, as he punched out 249 batters in 201 innings.
That kind of power atop the rotation is exactly what the Cardinals should be salivating over. Archer and Carlos Martinez would immediately form one of the most formidable starting pitcher duos in the majors, so there's no surprise the Cardinals have been inquiring.
St. Louis also has exactly what the Rays could reasonably request. Even after trading away outfielders Stephen Piscotty, Randal Grichuk, and Magneuris Sierra this offseason, the Cardinals still have a surplus at the position and young arms waiting in the wings.
Assuming they don't offer up Alex Reyes (if they did, the deal would probably be done by now), the Cardinals have a trio of pitching prospects in Jack Flaherty, Dakota Hudson, and Junior Fernandez who could be part of any deal. Additionally, either Harrison Bader or Tyler O'Neill may prove to be expendable. Finally, the expected heir to Yadier Molina's throne behind the plate, Carson Kelly, is an intriguing option.
Some combination of those pieces, along with lower-level prospects, would make for a solid proposal. It would help the Rays further restock their farm system, making it easier to stomach trading away their ace.
Washington Nationals
Victor Robles. While including the young outfielder may make Nationals fans uneasy, the team would have to be tempted to pull the trigger. Adding Archer would act as a bit of an insurance policy should Stephen Strasburg get injured again or should Gio Gonzalez turn into a pumpkin.
Without Robles, a deal is more difficult to envision. And trading him would be doubly risky with Bryce Harper set to hit free agency following the season, as losing both Robles and Harper with nothing to show for it would be a disaster.
But acquiring Archer could make that elusive postseason victory a reality, and it could also put the team a step closer toward being a favorite to take home the National League pennant. Washington's 2018 outfield looks set with Harper, Adam Eaton, and Michael Taylor in the fold and Brian Goodwin off the bench, so Robles isn't a lock to find playing time, though he could potentially supplant Taylor as the starting center fielder.
If Robles is off the table, it has to be a package centered around outfielder Juan Soto and right-hander Erick Fedde, but that likely wouldn't be enough.
Minnesota Twins
Like the Mariners, the Twins desperately need starting pitching. Unlike the Mariners, the Twins actually have decent pieces in the minors. If they're reluctant to deal Royce Lewis, who they selected first overall in the 2017 draft, or Nick Gordon, who could make his way to the big-league squad this coming season, things will be trickier.
However, the Twins do have lefty Stephen Gonsalves and righty Fernando Romero, who were considered by MLB Pipeline to be the team's two best pitching prospects at the end of 2017.
Archer joining Jose Berrios and Ervin Santana would certainly help matters in Minneapolis, especially if the Twins fail to lure free agent Yu Darvish.
Los Angeles Dodgers
Oh my, they could do it, couldn't they? The mere idea of having Archer in the Dodgers' rotation for the next four seasons could make 23-year-old Walker Buehler an instant trade chip. Add outfielder Alex Verdugo to the mix, and do the Rays say no?
Both are young, controllable assets who are pretty much ready for the show, which is likely more attractive than a group of 18-year-old works-in-progress.
Imagine a rotation of Clayton Kershaw, Archer, Alex Wood, Rich Hill, and Kenta Maeda with Julio Urias eventually rejoining the team. That would position the Dodgers even more definitively as the National League's premier team, and one that should be relatively sustainable because of how well they've mixed young talent with savvy veterans.
Look, it's going to hurt no matter what team you're a fan of. If a trade that sends out a bushel of prospects doesn't immediately result in a World Series championship, it often feels like a colossal failure that mortgaged the future. Conversely, Rays fans will understandably be upset to see Archer go, especially after bidding farewell to franchise icon Evan Longoria just weeks ago.
But, there's a chance, however slim, that the right deal works out well for both sides. In that scenario, it's a trade that helps the Rays stockpile youth and return to contention within a year or two, and one that pushes Archer's new team to postseason glory.
(Photos courtesy: Getty Images)