Fansided
Puckett's Pond

Minnesota Twins: 5 trade targets to improve the Twins’ starting rotation

By Chris Schad

BOSTON, MA - MAY 28: David Price #10 of the Boston Red Sox pitches in the second inning of a game against the Cleveland Indians at Fenway Park on May 28, 2019 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA - MAY 28: David Price #10 of the Boston Red Sox pitches in the second inning of a game against the Cleveland Indians at Fenway Park on May 28, 2019 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
4 of 6
Next
PITTSBURGH, PA – AUGUST 20: Chris Archer #24 of the Pittsburgh Pirates delivers a pitch in the first inning during the game against the Washington Nationals at PNC Park on August 20, 2019 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images)
PITTSBURGH, PA – AUGUST 20: Chris Archer #24 of the Pittsburgh Pirates delivers a pitch in the first inning during the game against the Washington Nationals at PNC Park on August 20, 2019 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images) /

Chris Archer

As an author of several pieces on this topic, I refuse to let the dream of Chris Archer coming to Minnesota die. The 31-year old was once considered one of the brightest young stars in the game, but his stint in Pittsburgh has been extremely disappointing without considering he was traded for two younger stars in Austin Meadows and Tyler Glasnow.

That trade notwithstanding, the situation in Pittsburgh has been a dumpster fire over the past year. Although former Twins bench coach Derek Shelton took over the managerial job from Clint Hurdle, the Pirates have a lot of work to do to get back to being a functional franchise and the best way to do that may be to start over.

If they choose to go that route, Archer may be a name thrown out there to fetch a piece or two for the rebuild as his past reputation may entice a team to bite. Before coming to Pittsburgh, Archer was a stud for the Rays, posting a 3.63 ERA and a stong 9.7 K/9 rate. In the past two seasons, he has seen his ERA inflate to 4.70 but also experienced a jump in his K/9 to 10.2.

The issue in Pittsburgh is that the Pirates have seemed to have adopted the old pitch to contact philosophy. With a desire to get ground balls over strikeouts, it’s what held back others such as Cole and Charlie Morton, who have thrived once leaving the organization. There are positives to Archer’s game and although it would be a reclamation project, the reward might be worth the risk.

Home/Minnesota Twins News