With the Major League Baseball non-waiver trade deadline just hours away, the biggest name that could perhaps still get moved is Tampa Bay Rays starter Chris Archer.
Archer’s name has been involved in trade speculation for a number of years now, although this instance seems to be more serious than in the past.
Among the teams that reportedly are showing interest in him are the Los Angeles Dodgers, Atlanta Braves, Milwaukee Brewers, Pittsburgh Pirates, San Diego Padres and others.
It was originally believed that the Padres had emerged as the favorites to acquire the right-hander from the Rays, although Jim Bowden of The Athletic is now reporting that the Braves are in the lead, with a number of other teams still in the mix:
#Braves emerging as favorites for Chris Archer but as we all know anything can happen with #Brewers #Pirates #Dodgers still lurking.
— Jim Bowden (@JimBowdenGM) July 31, 2018
Bowden then went on to clarify that there is no clear favorite given how many teams are still in contact with the Rays:
Clarification: Source: There is no deal in place at this time involving Chris Archer. #Rays are presently working through their options…several teams still in mix with no clear favorite at this hour…..as offers have been improving. Now just 2 hours and 40 mi#MlbTradeDeadline
— Jim Bowden (@JimBowdenGM) July 31, 2018
Considering that they currently have an excess of starting pitching, the Dodgers may not have a need for Archer as much as some of these other teams.
The Dodgers more immediate need is bullpen help, although if they were to acquire Archer then they could potentially move one or more of their starters to a relief role as they did with Kenta Maeda for the postseason in 2017.
As the deadline approaches, it will be interesting to see which route Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman and his staff decide to go.
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