Chris Archer could play a big role in a pennant race, but it’s more likely to happen in the National League than the American League.
Many expect the Tampa Bay Rays to finally move the seemingly perennial trade target before Tuesday afternoon’s 4 p.m. ET non-waiver trade deadline.
And here’s the (maybe?) good news teams jockeying for playoff position in the A.L.: It sounds as if Archer is on his way to the Senior Circuit.
The New York Post’s Joel Sherman reported Tuesday afternoon it’s likely an N.L. team acquires the right-hander, with the Atlanta Braves, Milwaukee Brewers and Pittsburgh Pirates leading the way.
That’s a welcome development for a team like the Houston Astros, against whom Archer has a 2.15 career ERA. The same could be said for the Yankees, as Archer has a 3.14 career ERA against his long-time division rivals. He also has a sub-3.00 ERA against both the Seattle Mariners and Oakland Athletics.
Believe it or not, though, the Boston Red Sox and Cleveland Indians actually might be sad to see him go. Archer is a borderline unfathomable 2-19 combined against the Red Sox and Indians in his career. Archer obviously hasn’t played for a lot of good Rays teams, so that win-loss record could be a bit misleading, but he also has a combined 5.42 ERA against those clubs.
