With less than 24 hours remaining before the non-waiver Trade Deadline, six teams remain involved in the pursuit of Rays right-hander Chris Archer, one source told MLB.com on Monday.
The Padres, Braves, Yankees, Brewers and two other teams have had talks with the Rays in recent days.
Through team options, Tampa Bay controls Archer through the 2021 season. As such, the Rays are under no pressure to move him now. However, the relative scarcity of starting pitching on this year's trade market has increased the chances of an Archer deal in recent days.
Archer's full-season numbers are unspectacular -- a 4.31 ERA in 96 innings -- but he has thrown back-to-back quality starts. He missed more than one month this season with a left abdominal strain.
The Padres were among the teams that scouted Archer's recent 13-strikeout performance at Tropicana Field. San Diego is willing to part with one or more of the prospect group that includes Francisco Mejia, Luis Urias and Cal Quantrill, according to sources familiar with the talks.