Archer's teammates happy about his extension

ST. PETERSBURG -- At a news conference Wednesday afternoon, the Rays announced the signing of right-hander Chris Archer to an eight-year contract extension -- the first six years are guaranteed (2014-'19) plus the deal includes club options for 2020 and '21.

Archer is guaranteed a total of $25.5 million in the deal, which has a maximum value of $43.75 million.

The news of Archer's deal went over well inside the Rays' clubhouse.

"I'm excited for him," Wil Myers said. "I think that's awesome for him to be able to do that. It sets him up for life. He's a great pitcher. I know he's excited about it, so I'm happy for him."

Myers believes Archer's attitude and mindset will help him avoid the adverse effects from the pressure and expectations that come with a deal.

"I think he has a good mindset about him," Myers said. "I think he's going to really exceed it. Any player's going to want to exceed the amount of money he makes. I think he's a guy that can do that."

Alex Cobb said that he was happy that Archer "could be set up for the rest of his life."

"If anything was to happen, he would be OK. He doesn't ever have to work again," Cobb said. "Anytime you can do that and kind of take the business side out of baseball, and now he can just go out there and pitch and not worry about anything. I think it's going to do wonders for him and his career."