MLB Trade Rumors: Yankees Favored To Land Chris Archer? Padres, Braves, Dodgers In Mix

Teams have been inquiring about the availability of Chris Archer for a few weeks, and it appears that the Tampa Bay Rays might finally be willing to trade their pitcher. There are several contenders to land the 29-year-old, but his most likely destination could be the New York Yankees.

Former MLB general manager and current CBS Sports analyst Jim Bowden believes the Yankees have the best shot at acquiring Archer. The San Diego Padres and Atlanta Braves aren’t far behind as potential trade partners for the Rays.

There has been some question regarding whether Tampa Bay would send their No.2 pitcher to a team in their division, but the organization seems to certainly be considering a deal. Two Rays’ scouts were in person to see the most recent start of Yankees’ top pitching prospect Justus Sheffield.

New York has already completed trades with two AL East teams in the last week. They sent three prospects to the Baltimore Orioles for reliever Zach Britton. The Yankees also dealt infielder Brandon Drury and a minor-leaguer to the Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for starter J.A. Happ.

The Yankees are likely headed to the playoffs with a 5.5-game lead on the Seattle Mariners for the No.1 wild-card berth. New York trails the Boston Red Sox by 5.5 games for first place in the division.

San Diego doesn’t want Archer for a 2018 postseason push. The Padres are long out of the playoff race, and a trade with the Rays would instead be for 2019 and beyond.

Archer is signed to a team-friendly contract through the 2021 season, and San Diego has reportedly been the most aggressive team in pursuit of the starter. The Padres spent big money on first baseman Eric Hosmer in the offseason, though they are far from being a contender at 24 games under .500.

Atlanta is a player for Archer because they’ve got maybe the best farm system in baseball and are currently competing for a playoff spot. They trail the Philadelphia Phillies by 1.5 games for first place in the NL East. The Braves are also 1.5 games out of the second wild-card spot.

The Los Angeles Dodgers and Cleveland Indians are among the other contenders for Archer. Both teams sit in first place in their respective divisions.

Having spent time on the disabled list this season, Archer has uncharacteristically poor numbers with a 4.31 ERA and a 1.39 WHIP. Archer has a 3.69 career ERA, though his ERA was a shade above 4.00 in each of the last two seasons.

Archer was a Cy Young contender in 2015 with a 3.23 ERA, a 1.14 WHIP and 252 strikeouts in 212 innings. He’s never made a postseason start.

The 2018 MLB trade deadline is Tuesday at 4 p.m. EDT.