Chris Archer is excited to be part of Tampa Bay Rays’ youth
The pact is sealed, if one considers the deal between the Tampa Bay Rays and the Chicago Cubs. The two organizations have been looking for new additions to come around in the recent days and they made their mark when a trade deal
between the two saw 8 players across the country.
The deal sees right-handed pitcher Chris Archer, catcher Robinson Chirinos, shortstop Hak-Ju Lee, outfielder Brandon Guyer and outfielder Sam Fuld move to Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for Matt Garza, minor league outfielder Fernando
Perez and another minor league prospect.
The trading cycle hasn’t ended and with a month left to go till the start of spring training, one can’t determine which team will be calling quits on the winter break spending period. For the Cubs, landing Matt Garza seems to have
made the right impression as the club looks set to put forward its pitching rotation.
The Rays, on the other hand, attain 5 prospects that will look to impress in their debut for the side. One important player to come through is Chris Archer. The former Cubs’ pitcher (and the Cubs’ 2010 minor pitcher of the year),
who was acquired from the Cleveland Indians in a Mark DeRosa deal back in 2008, sees this as an opportunity to impress the masses and his potential followers in Florida.
Archer, who is 22 at the moment, impressed most observers last season when he went 15 wins–3 losses (with a 2.34 ERA) split between Class A Florida State League (Daytona Cubs) and Double A Southern League (Tennessee Smokies). The
player will possibly start in the later league, joining a plethora of young Rays’ pitchers. The player who packs a tough punch with his fastballs, change-ups and sliders is looking to impress the Rays. He wants to stay with the side given their reputation
and their habit of producing players from within.
"Not that the Cubs didn't, not that other organizations don't - but the Rays are pretty prominent with the fact that they do that," said Archer. "They build from within. Their rotation has been in the league a couple of years and
they're only 25, 26 years old. It's cool that I can be a part of that.
"I'm excited. I'm ready for the challenge. I'm really not in competition with them. I'm in competition with myself. Regardless of who's there, I'm just trying to play my role and do the best I can. Whether it's (as) a starter,
whether it's (as) a reliever, whether it's Double-A, Triple-A, Single-A - I'm just trying to do what I do best. Wherever I fall, that's on them to make that decision."
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