3 free agents not named Carlos Correa that Astros should sign

Chris Archer

The Astros rotation is still somewhat of a question mark. Sure – the return of Justin Verlander is exciting, but the rest of the rotation is somewhat of a mystery. We have no idea when Lance McCullers Jr. will be back on the mound.

We have no idea if Jake Odorizzi will be able to bounce back from a poor season. We have no idea if Jose Urquidy can be healthy for an entire season. And there’s reason to believe we might see some sophomore season regression from Luis Garcia.

Signing an uber-talented starting pitcher like Chris Archer would help quell any concerns.

Archer is a two-time All Star with certain flaws, but when he is sharp he’s a dominant pitcher. He’s 61-81 in his career, but a lot of his time has been spent on bad teams – early 2010s Tampa Bay Rays and the mostly forgettable late 2010s Pittsburgh Pirates.

In fact, the only team Archer has been on with real championship aspirations was last year’s Tampa Bay Rays – a season shortened for Archer by some bad-luck injury.

Archer seems like a prime candidate – if he signs with a winning team with a winning culture and can remain healthy – to have somewhat of a renaissance in his early 30s.

He’s already been linked to the Miami Marlins, the Braves and the Chicago Cubs, but Archer has shown interest in the Astros before. And if McCullers isn’t gonna be back anytime soon, Archer might be a worthwhile risk in the short term.