Pitcher Chris Archer #22 of the Tampa Bay Rays during the second inning of a game against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park on September 11, 2021, in Detroit, Michigan. ((Photo by Duane Burleson/Getty Images))
MINNEAPOLIS - The Minnesota Twins made a splash last week, signing star shortstop Carlos Correa to a three-year deal.
They potentially addressed more needs for starting pitching on Monday. The team announced it has signed Chris Archer, once one of the top young pitchers in Major League Baseball, to a one-year deal. According to multiple reports, the deal is worth $2.75 million with up to $6 million in bonuses.
A few weeks ago, the Twins signed Sonny Gray for the 2022 season, and he’s expected to be the Opening Day starter. The Twins needed to add starting pitching, with Kenta Maeda out for the 2022 season due to Tommy John Surgery and the team trading Jose Berrios last season.
Archer is 33 years old and spent his first seven seasons with the Tampa Bay Rays before going to the Pittsburgh Pirates for two years. He went 1-1 in five starts last year for the Rays, pitching only 19 1/3 innings due to injuries. He missed all of the 2020 season with multiple injuries, including shoulder surgery.
Archer is a two-time All-Star, being named to the mid-summer classic in 2015 and 2017. He was third in Rookie of the Year voting in 2013, and fifth in Cy Young Award voting in 2015. Twins’ manager Rocco Baldelli was on the Rays’ coaching staff for both of Archer’s All-Star seasons.
Archer last pitched more than 200 innings in 2017. In 119 2/3 innings in 2019, Archer went 3-9 in 23 starts with a 5.19 earned run average, 143 strikeouts and 55 walks. He''s pitched 139 innings combined the last two seasons.
The Twins hope Archer can take an immediate role in the starting rotation, joining Gray, Dylan Bundy Bailey Ober and Joe Ryan.
The Twins open the 2022 regular season on April 7 against the Seattle Mariners at Target Field.