The Minnesota Twins have made it clear that their last-place finish in the AL Central last year is not acceptable. Those failures necessitated significant changes, which the Twins continue to make.
On Monday, they added to their pitching staff, inking Chris Archer to a one-year deal worth $3.5 million. According to Jeff Passan, the deal would be worth up to $9.5 million if Archer hits his incentives.
Right-hander Chris Archer and the Minnesota Twins are in agreement on a one-year, $3.5 million contract, sources familiar with the deal tell ESPN. Archer, 33, will join the Twins' rotation and can earn up to $9.5 million this season with performance bonuses.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) March 28, 2022
The once highly regarded pitcher has struggled over the past two seasons. Archer pitched just 19.1 innings with the Tampa Bay Rays last year, mainly serving as an opener and pitching in just six games. He spent the year before that with the Pittsburgh Pirates, where he authored a 3-9 record with a 5.19 earned run average with 1.41 walks and hits per inning pitched.
Pitching was an area of weakness for the Twins last season, as Minnesota finished with the fifth-worst earned run average in the MLB. Archer joins the staff as a bottom of the rotation arm.
The signing won’t move the Twins up or down the futures board at FanDuel Sportsbook. Minnesota remains +4500 to win the World Series.