Archer drawing interest from 'dozen or so' teams

Was Chris Archer's outing Friday night against the Orioles his final start as a member of the Rays? It's certainly possible, as ESPN's Jerry Crasnick reported Saturday that trade discussions for Archer are "intensifying," with multiple teams involved.

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A source told MLB.com's Mark Feinsand that "many teams are inquiring [about Archer] and the Rays are spending a lot of time on it," and Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times wrote Sunday that the Braves, Padres and Yankees "have been considered among the most interested teams."
Topkin previously reported that a "dozen or so teams" have "expressed some level of serious interest" in Archer, with the list including the Dodgers, Cardinals, Astros, Brewers, Cubs, Indians and Phillies, as well as the aforementioned three clubs.
However, the asking price for Archer remains substantial, as the Rays want a return commensurate with a "No. 1 starter type," according to Crasnick.
Whether any team will be willing to meet the Rays' demands is unclear, as Archer owns a 4.31 ERA this season after recording an ERA over 4.00 in each of the past two years.
Per MLB Network insider Joel Sherman, the Rays are "taking lots of calls on Archer," but no one is near the "threshold" yet.
Sherman has heard that the Yankees are considered longshots to land Archer, with the Padres and other teams pursuing the righty in a "stronger way," though the Rays were scouting Justus Sheffield (New York's No. 1 prospect, per MLB Pipeline) when the left-hander started Saturday for Triple-A Scranton Wilkes/Barre.

Of course, it's not surprising that the Rays are setting their sights high, given Archer's stuff and team-friendly contract. The right-hander has recorded a 10.6 K/9 rate since the outset of 2015, and he is signed for just $7.7 million in '19 with club options for '20 and '21 totaling only $20 million.
That deal is one of the reasons Archer is drawing interest from non-contenders such as the Padres, who have "made progress" in trade talks with the Rays but are balking at the current pricetag, per Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports.

MLB.com's Jon Paul Morosi reported Wednesday that the Padres didn't include Fernando Tatis Jr. or Mackenzie Gore -- their top two prospects -- in their initial offers but were willing to part with Francisco Mejía (No. 3) Luis Urias (No. 4) and Cal Quantrill (No. 10).

With their tremendous farm system, the Padres are seen as the frontrunners for Archer by "at least a few rivals," according to MLB Network insider Jon Heyman.

While Archer's name has been floated in trade reports for several years, the chances of the righty being moved are seemingly greater now than they have been at any point in that time, though nothing is imminent with Tuesday's 4 p.m. ET non-waiver Trade Deadline looming.