The Atlanta Braves have made no secret about pursuing starting pitching during the offseason. General Manager John Coppolella has gone on record stating that he hopes to acquire at least two starters before next season.
Given the abundance of pitching prospects in the Atlanta farm system, many assumed that he would seek short-term filler (in the same vein as Jhoulys Chacin, Lucas Harrell, and Bud Norris in 2015) so as not to block any of their young arms. However, that may not be the case. They may have their sights set much, much higher.
Yesterday, MLB.com’s Jon Morosi reported that the Braves have spoken with the Tampa Bay Rays about their young starters including Chris Archer.
#Braves have spoken with the #Rays about Chris Archer, among other controllable starters, sources say. @MLB @MLBNetwork
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) November 8, 2016
Outside of Archer, Jake Odorizzi (controllable through 2019) and Drew Smyly (controllable through 2018), Matt Andriese (controllable through 2021) would also fit the bill for a controllable starter. Blake Snell (a rookie in 2016) is likely off the table.
Of course, Archer would be the clear prize out of the bunch. Despite his ugly 9-19 record last year, the righty has top of the rotation talent. Twenty-sixteen marked the third consecutive season of 30-plus starts and 190-plus innings for the 28-year-old. He also comes with an extremely team friendly contract (shown below).
- 2017: $4,916,666
- 2018: $6,416,667
- 2019: $7,666,667
- 2020: $9,000,000 (team option)
- 2021: $11,000,000 (team option)
All told, Archer could be had for five peak years, his age 28-32 seasons, for a total of $39 million. That’s already a bargain in today’s game and could look even more team-friendly with the rising cost of free agents.
His talent and contract combined make Archer one of the more valuable trade candidates in the game. While the Braves likely have the prospect firepower to pull off such a deal the price may end up being too steep.
Of course, just because the teams “have spoken” doesn’t mean anything is imminent or even that they progressed beyond the due diligence stage. It still seems that the most likely place for the Braves to find starters will be the free agent scrap heap. Despite their improvements in the second half, this isn’t a team designed to win now and the prospect package it would take to pry away a controllable starter like Archer would be tremendous.
Regardless, it is interesting to see Coppolella look at such high-profile options. He has shown an ability to complete unique and unexpected trades (Matt Kemp) and may see this as an opportunity to jump start the rebuild. Either way, hot stove season is just getting underway. Expect many more rumors to come in the following weeks and months.
Scott Ferris covers the Braves as a Staff Writer for Outside Pitch MLB. You can follow him on Twitter @ScottHFerris
The post Atlanta Braves looking into Chris Archer, other controllable starters appeared first on OutsidePitchMLB.