Chris Archer: A Retrospective of a Rays Great

In January of 2011, the Tampa Bay Rays were undergoing a massive change to their roster and changing the landscape of the franchise. They had just won the American League East and had been in the playoffs in two of the past three years, but with several notable players becoming free agents and even more having their cost rise substantially, the Rays were in the midst of a roster overhaul.

So, on January 8th, 2011, the Tampa Bay Rays shook the baseball world as they traded RHP Matt Garza to the Chicago Cubs for a massive haul of prospects, including the Cubs minor league pitcher of the year in 2010, a 22 year old pitcher by the name of Chris Archer.

Prior to the trade, Archer had been named…