The Minnesota Twins have signed starting pitcher Chris Archer to a one-year deal with performance bonuses, per ESPN’s Jeff Passan.
Archer agreed to a $3.5 million deal with up to $6 million in bonus incentives he can earn based on games started or any outing where he records at least nine outs.
The deal also comes with a $10 million mutual option to return in 2023.
Chris Archer’s deal with the Twins has a base of $2.75 million and a $10 million mutual option with a $750K buyout. He can earn up to $6 million in bonuses based on games started or outings with nine or more outs. A healthy Archer would get paid well and be a huge boon for Twins.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) March 28, 2022
After missing all of 2020 recovering from surgery to treat neurogenic thoracic outlet syndrome, Archer returned last year to allow 11 runs (10 earned), 18 hits, and eight strikeouts in 19.1 innings for the Tampa Bay Rays.
The righty flaunted ace potential to begin his career with the Rays. He recorded a 3.22 ERA in 2013 and a 3.33 ERA the following year. In 2015, he finished fifth in AL Cy Young Award voting with a 3.23 ERA and 252 strikeouts in 212 innings.
While his ERA climbed above 4.00 each of the following two seasons, Archer tallied MLB’s fourth-most strikeouts (734) behind only Max Scherzer, Chris Sale, and Corey Kluber from 2015 to 2017.
However, the 33-year-old is now synonymous with one of MLB’s most one-sided trades in recent memory.
In 2018, the Rays shipped Archer to the Pittsburgh Pirates for Austin Meadows, Tyler Glasnow, and a player to be named later that became top prospect Shane Baz. While all three players remain pivotal components to Tampa Bay’s short- and long-term plans, Archer posted a 4.92 ERA in 33 starts across two seasons for Pittsburgh.
Even after acquiring Sonny Gray from the Cincinnati Reds, Minnesota’s rotation can certainly use a boost. Archer should get an opportunity to join a rotation hoping for a bounce-back campaign from Dylan Bundy and breakouts from young starters Joe Ryan and Bailey Ober.
After making an uncharacteristically big splash by signing star shortstop Carlos Correa, the Twins should improve on last year’s last-place finish in the AL Central. Archer is a low-risk, high-risk gamble that could help them sneak into the postseason picture.
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