The trade is a big reason why Huntington is no longer the GM, being replaced by Ben Cherington in November. Though a two-time All-Star with the Rays, the 31-year-old has a 6-12 record and 4.92 ERA in 33 starts since the Pirates acquired him from Tampa Bay in a trade July 31, 2018. I wonder if we’ll ever know how long this has been an issue for Chris, and honestly it hardly matters. He is a high strikeout pitcher — his K rates have been from 9.83 to 11.15 per 9 each year from 2015-19 — but in 2017 and 2018, his batting average on balls in play were .325 and .338. The lefty-hitting outfielder is slashing .292/.327/.468 with five homers, 13 RBIs and four steals in 49 games. Glasnow is under contractual control through 2023 and Meadows until the end of the 2024 season. Dr. Robert Thompson performed the surgery Tuesday at Washington University Hospital in St. Louis. Archer is projected to return to full competition for the 2021 season.”. To say that trade hasn’t worked out for the Pirates is an understatement. From seemingly nowhere an announcement came from the Pirates today. It’s clear now, that was wrong in every way it could be. Meanwhile, Baz is just 20. Meadows was selected to the All-Star Game last year, during his first full season in the major leagues, hitting .291/.354/.558 with 33 home runs and 12 stolen bases in 138 games. What Happened to Chris Archie AKA Mod Archie? When the cutter was all the rage, right handed hitters adjusted and became pull happy, open stance, clear the hips, hitting instructors thought they were geniuses. The flip side of the coin happened this Summer, when Cherrington moved Starling Marte for two high ceiling prospects. The Chris Archer Trade Could Go Down As One of the Worst in MLB History In July 2018, the Pittsburgh Pirates swung for the fences, trying to get one more playoff run going down by the three rivers. Nothing special, always panics when he gets tagged for a homer, too twitchy and energetic on the mound. Ex-Pirates infielder Jung-Ho Kang banned for year by Korean baseball, Diamondbacks OF Starling Marte's wife dies of heart attack, Pirates suspend retirement benefits for baseball ops staff amid pandemic. They each held the title of Pittsburgh's top prospect at some point before Mitch Keller took the mantle. He’s a bounce back candidate all right. I don’t think you know what words mean. In 2016 and 2017, his age 27 and 28 seasons, Archer went backwards, putting up a 4.02 and 4.07 ERA. The penny-pinching Pirates are not going to roll the dice on an aging pitcher coming off a lost season. I have a hard time seeing him rebounding. The Pirates hold an $11-million option on Archer for the 2021 season that can be bought out for $250,000. Considering the Pirates were on pace to have the lowest payroll in the major leagues this year at just $63 million, it is impossible to envision them exercising the option. A sinker naturally breaks down, so if you have an uppercut swing, your bat path is on target. Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Chris Archer will not play until at least 2021 after he had surgery Tuesday at Washington University Hospital in St. Louis. The right-hander will miss the entire 2020 season after undergoing surgery this week to relieve symptoms of thoracic outlet syndrome. Then-general manager Neal Huntington traded right-hander Tyler Glasnow, outfielder Austin Meadows and pitching prospect Shane Baz for Archer. Especially since he went from a top3 player development group to a bottom 5 one. Not at all, actually gave them a chance to actually contend sooner. After an offseason spent moving franchise cornerstones Andrew McCutchen and Gerrit Cole, this was a commitment to the Pirates' current, controllable core that has surged within 3 1/2 games of a spot in the postseason over the last three weeks. We’re looking at a small sample, but it’s clear that Archer’s sinker was an awful pitch for him in 2019. He’s a guy who was supposed to be great who hasn’t been. He sat at 4.42/3.78/3.70 in those same measures. He reminds a lot of Jose Quintana. Mental lapses. The Pirates felt more comfortable moving Meadows given their current outfield situation and depth of prospects. Archer will be 32 in the 2021 season, coming off season-ending surgery. They gave up on Glasnow as a starter. No player on the Pirates' roster draws the ire of Pittsburgh sports fans quite like Chris Archer. You can’t compare past stats to the current stats. Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. None of this is Ben Cherrington’s fault of course, he inherited the situation, but many wanted to see him address the situation this past off-season. He just doesn’t have his head in the game. Discussion | J-Mod reply. Steve: Writes article with a data driven hypothesis The 2020 option decision was a net $7.25MM call, but it’ll be a $10.75MM call next winter. ", Huntington and Coonelly said the Pirates' turnaround, during which they won 15 of 19 games, pushed them in this direction. Comparing past stats to current stats is the entire point of a rebound. Today that seems extremely unlikely. View more posts, To me you almost have to pick up the option if he pitched anywhere close to what capable of then trade chip to flip… Marin I do believe could have improved archer enough to be quality starter for someone else ….