The Minnesota Twins have signed veteran right-hander Chris Archer to a one-year deal, it was announced Monday.
Terms were not disclosed by the team, but the deal is valued at $3.5 million and Archer could earn up to $9.5 million in performance bonuses this season, sources told ESPN’s Jeff Passan .
Archer, 33, made five starts and one relief appearance for the Tampa Bay Rays in 2021 and posted a 4.66 ERA in 19 1/3 innings. He was sidelined for most of the season due to a strain in his right forearm.
Archer has a career 3.87 ERA with 1,370 strikeouts in 1,254 1/3 innings and a .240 opposing batting average. He was third in the AL Rookie of the Year pick for the Rays in 2013 and fifth in the Cy Young Award pick in 2015.
The Rays traded Archer to the Pittsburgh Pirates as of 2018 deadline. After missing the 2020 season through injury, Archer returned to the Rays as a free agent last year.
Archer could slot in Minnesota’s rotation behind Sonny Gray, Joe Ryan, Bailey Ober and Dylan Bundy. Ober made 20 starts last season as a rookie, and Ryan made five starts on his debut. Gray was acquired in a trade with the Cincinnati Reds, and Bundy was signed as a free agent after leaving the Los Angeles Angels.
To open up a spot for Archer in the 40-man roster, the Twins sent left-hander Lewis Thorpe straight to Triple-A St. Paul.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.