MLB Trade Rumors: Chris Archer Confident He Will Stay With the Tampa Bay Rays
Chris Archer's name has been mentioned in multiple trade rumors already since the offseason began with clubs like the New York Yankees, Chicago Cubs, Milwaukee Brewers, St. Louis Cardinals and Minnesota Twins reportedly looking to acquire him from the Tampa Bay Rays.
However, the two-time All-Star seems confident he will be suiting up for the Rays when the 2018 season begins in late March.
"I've talked to (GM) Erik (Neander) a lot and he's made me feel pretty good about being with the Rays in 2018," Archer said, via the Tampa Bay Times.
Well, the Rays aren't expected to field a competitive squad next season after they traded away Evan Longoria to the San Francisco Giants for infield prospect Christian Arroyo, outfielder Denard Span and pitchers Stephen Woods and Matt Krook last month.
People had assumed that it was only a matter of time before Archer was dealt as well. However, he doesn't seem to be interested in joining a contender.
Archer doesn't want to go through a fifth straight losing season, but he said he has decided to serve as a mentor for the club's young players after he heard Neander praise them.
"I don't want to have an expectation as far as the team goes because we're going to be young so there's going to be a learning curve," Archer stated. "But I want to help these guys shorten their learning curve and be a better version of themselves," he continued.
Of course, it's possible that Archer may be placed on the trading block before the trade deadline in July, but it looks like he's staying put for now.
Archer went 10–12 with a 4.07 earned run average (ERA) and a 1.26 walks plus hits per inning pitched (WHIP) in 34 starts last season. He also had 249 strikeouts in 201 innings pitched.
