Report: Brewers, Rays have had recent contact about Archer
Chris Archer may be confident that he's not going anywhere this winter, but that doesn't mean the Tampa Bay Rays aren't discussing him with other teams.
Sources told Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic on Thursday that the Milwaukee Brewers - who are just a week removed from their big offseason splash - have had recent contact with the Rays about Archer.
The Brewers have a surplus of outfielders after signing Lorenzo Cain and trading for Christian Yelich. As a result, two of their younger outfielders - 25-year-old slugger Domingo Santana, who hit 30 home runs in 2017, and top outfield prospect Brett Phillips - are reportedly being dangled on the trade market to try and bring back another starting pitcher.
Still, according to Rosenthal, a deal that would send the 29-year-old right-hander to Milwaukee reportedly appears unlikely at this time.
Tampa Bay may not believe that a Santana-Phillips package is a large enough return for a controllable ace in Archer, Rosenthal reports. Milwaukee, meanwhile, may not be keen on dipping into its farm system again after it traded four prospects - including highly-regarded outfielder Lewis Brinson - for Yelich last week.
Although they've apparently had discussions with the Rays about Archer, the Brewers' search to augment their rotation is likely not limited to the trade market. They've been connected to several of the major free-agent pitchers this offseason, including Yu Darvish and Jake Arrieta, and team owner Mark Attanasio has gone on record as saying there's still money available to sign another free agent.
Related: Brewers owner says team still has money for free-agent pitching
Including a pair of club options in 2020 and '21, Archer - who was an All-Star for the second time last season - has another four years and $33.75-million remaining on the six-year contract he signed with the Rays in 2014.
In addition to the Brewers, the Philadelphia Phillies, Washington Nationals, St. Louis Cardinals, and Minnesota Twins have all reportedly spoken to the Rays about Archer in recent weeks.