The Pittsburgh Pirates shocked the baseball world and made a surprising trade just before Tuesday’s deadline, acquiring pitcher Chris Archer from the Tampa Bay Rays for top prospects Austin Meadows and Tyler Glasnow.
Yahoo Sports’ Jeff Passan confirmed the deal was completed and reported the impressive return for Tampa Bay.
Sources: The Rays will be getting Austin Meadows and Tyler Glasnow back in the deal for Chris Archer. @JimBowdenGM first mentioned them as possibilities.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) July 31, 2018
Archer was probably the best starting pitcher on the market that was available for trade. What was more appealing to teams though is the fact he’s under control for another three seasons and will cost only $27.5 million.
Archer isn’t having his strongest season. He finished April with a 6.61 ERA, but has since lowered that to 4.31. Through 17 starts, he’s posted 102 strikeouts over 96 innings. He also missed five weeks with an abdominal muscle issue, but has been remarkably durable over his career. He made at least 32 starts every season between 2014 and 2017.
Both Austin Meadows and Tyler Glasnow were considered top prospects before graduating to the big leagues. It is obvious that the Rays are going into rebuild mode, Meadows and Glasnow will turn into the Rays strongest building blocks for the future.
