Pittsburgh Pirates: Trade Rumors Chris Archer

According to Mark Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times, the Pittsburgh Pirates had a high level scout at the Tampa Bay Rays and Baltimore Orioles games last night (7/15).

Many are speculating that the Pittsburgh Pirates, Boston Red Sox, and Washington Nationals were at the game to watch right-handed pitcher Chris Archer pitch against the Orioles.  Archer is having a bad year compared to his 2015 season however.  This year he owns 4-13 record with a 4.68 ERA, and he also has given up more home runs this year than he did all of last year (20).  Now the upside of Archer is that of a top of the rotation arm, which he showed in 2015.  He was an all-star last year and had a record of 12-13 with a 3.33 ERA.  His career numbers are strong too as he possesses a 3.56 ERA.  He is only 27 years of age, but has a good career track record that would be worth buying.

With all this being said, he would be an exciting pick up for any team.  Yes he is having a bad season, but he is still young enough that his recent struggles are not because he is over the hill, but rather because something is off with his pitching.  Ray Searage has not been the wizard that we typically know, but in general a change of scenery could help Archer. A move out of the heavy hitting AL East would be a step in the right direction in getting him back on track.

He is young, and controllable which is what the Pittsburgh Pirates would love to have, as they look to compete this year and the upcoming years.  This will still make acquiring Archer a tough task.  He has a strong track record, is young, and controllable through 2019. The Rays would likely be looking for a top prospect, two strong prospects, and another lower level prospect.  A deal around Steven Brault, Harold Ramirez, Cole Tucker, and Willy Garcia would be about the value the Rays would be looking for.

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The issue in all of this is that there may not be any truth to this.  First off, the Pittsburgh Pirates and other teams are always scouting and doing their homework on players at the trade deadline.  The Pittsburgh Pirates very well could have been scouting Archer, or they could have been looking at another player in the game.  There has been rumor that the Orioles are interested in acquiring a pitcher from the Pirates, whether it is Liriano, Locke, or Niese.  One could argue that the Pirates scout could have been watching a player on the Baltimore side of the game.

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All I am saying is do not get to excited.  The Pirates are going to do their due diligence on as many players as possible as the deadline approaches. Last year the Pirates scouted Clay Buchholtz and David Price, neither one of them ended up here.  Rumors are gong to swi

rl, do not get your heart set on a specific transaction.