PITTSBURGH -- Likely sellers only three weeks ago, the Pirates wound up bringing home the Trade Deadline's biggest prize.After trading for Rangers closer Keone Kela early Tuesday morning, the Pirates acquired starter Chris Archer from the Rays prior to Tuesday's 4 p.m. ET non-waiver deadline. Pittsburgh sent outfielder Austin Meadows and right-hander Tyler Glasnow -- both recent top prospects -- along with a player to be named in exchange for Archer, who is finally on the move after years of speculation in Tampa Bay.
Archer, 29, will immediately join the top of Pittsburgh's rotation along with right-hander Jameson Taillon. But this is not just a move for the final two months of this season. 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.Archer is making $6.25 million this year, and he's due $7.5 million next season, the final guaranteed year of his contract. Archer's club-friendly deal also includes team options for 2020 ($9 million) and '21 ($11 million), so the Pirates can build their rotation around him and Taillon for years to come.Archer's numbers over the past three years, including a 22-36 record and 4.10 ERA, aren't indicative of the pure stuff he possesses. The right-hander has finished among the American League's top three in strikeouts each of the last three seasons. He is the only pitcher in Rays history to record three 200-strikeout seasons. He is also known for his durability, having started at least 32 games each year from 2014-17.To add Archer, the Bucs not only took on salary but also dealt away two young players, Meadows and Glasnow, who once looked like foundational pieces for the franchise. Meadows and Glasnow each held the title of Pittsburgh's top prospect at some point before Mitch Keller took the mantle.Meadows, 23, made his Major League debut this season in May and quickly won NL Rookie of the Month honors. The lefty-hitting outfielder is slashing .292/.327/.468 with five homers, 13 RBIs and four steals in 49 games.Glasnow, 24, looked like a can't-miss pitching prospect coming out of the Minors, but he has struggled to adjust in the Majors. The 6-foot-8 right-hander posted a 7.69 ERA last season, primarily as a starter, before putting together a 4.34 ERA with 11.6 strikeouts per nine innings as a reliever this year.
Adam Berry/MLB.com
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