Even after their flurry of moves this spring, the Twins still needed another starting pitcher to solidify their rotation picture. They addressed that need on Monday, agreeing to a one-year, $3.5 million deal with free-agent right-hander Chris Archer?, with a $10 million mutual option for 2023, sources told MLB.com. The club has not confirmed the deal.
The $3.5 million guarantee encompasses a base salary of $2.75 million for the '22 season and a $750,000 buyout in '23 if the Twins choose not to exercise their end of the mutual option. Archer can also earn up to $6 million in performance bonuses this year.
Archer joins a rotation picture that already featured Sonny Gray, Dylan Bundy, Joe Ryan and Bailey Ober ahead of an uncertain fifth spot. He's said to have been independently maintaining a ramp-up toward the season, though it remains to be seen how deep the Twins will let him pitch upon his slotting into the rotation.