PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – If not his career, at least the last couple of years have come full circle for Chris Archer and the Pirates.
His club option for this season not picked up by the Bucs. Archer signs for one year, 6.5 million dollars according to MLB.com Tampa Bay reporter, and former Pirates reporter, Adam Berry.
Archer was unable to pitch in 2020 for the Pirates after surgery due to neurogenic thoracic outlet syndrome. The symptoms are a drop in velocity and tingling in the fingers.
Former major leaguers Phil Hughes, Chris Young and Chris Carpenter were among those who also had surgery for TOS.
The Pirates declined his 11 million dollar option in October, making him a free agent.
Archer came to the Pirates with the hope of being a pitcher that got them into the post-season in 2018. The Bucs paid a hefty price in outfielder Austin Meadows (.273, 38 2B, 38 HR and an All-Star Game with TB) starting pitcher Tyler Glasnow (12-7, 3.32 ERA, 231K, 173.2 IP, 8 post-season starts) and minor-league starter Shane Baz (Rays 6th best prospect).
It started great for Archer, the team winning his first two decisions in August of 2018. He brought an infectious energy that seemed to spark the team and fan base. Since that point Archer went 5-12. His ERA in 2019 was 5.19 as he won 3 of 23 starts.
Fair to say Archer didn’t always have the best support around him and his TOS condition likely started to impact his 2019 season. But the gamble the Pirates took was huge and his failure was one of the reasons GM Neal Huntington lost his job.
A successful 2021 with the Rays would only further drive home the stake into the heart of one of the worst trades in Pirates history.