The Los Angeles Dodgers under president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman have been a forward-thinking group in all aspects of their organization. That goes for bringing in former big league players as advisors in ways that could help boost various areas of the franchise.
In early December, former Major League Baseball starter Chris Archer joined the Dodgers in a front office role.
The Dodgers also recently hired Nelson Cruz in an advisor role, where he will spend the majority of his time in Latin America.
Archer’s exact role with the Dodgers isn’t clearly defined, but he’s expected to have a fair amount of flexibility, per Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:
How Archer described it is basically a blank slate. If he wants to go to Japan and work alongside a scout, writing his own report on a pitcher, he can. The Dodgers also want him to make a trip to their African academy and offer input.
Archer last pitched in 2022 when he made 25 starts for the Minnesota Twins, but had his mutual option declined after the season to make him a free agent. Joining the Dodgers signals that he could be in the next stage of his baseball career, although he hasn’t officially retired.
The Dodgers expanding their reach in other countries is noteworthy, and the club putting former MLB players at the forefront of their scouting and player development system is a plus move.
Dodgers tried to acquire Chris Archer at 2018 Trade Deadline
In 2018, the Dodgers were one of the more active teams in inquiring about bringing in Archer to aid their starting pitching.
Through the first half of that season, Archer was 3-5 with a 4.31 ERA, 3.62 FIP and 1.39 WHIP in 17 starts (96 innings). It was one of his worst statistical runs of his big league career to that point, but teams believed he still had elite stuff to make him a very interesting trade option.
The Pittsburgh Pirates made an impact offer, dealing current Dodgers’ pitcher Tyler Glasnow and outfielder Austin Meadows as headliners to the Tampa Bay Rays in nabbing Archer. Still having three years of control, the Pirates justified the cost of the trade, but it turned out to be one of the worst trades in recent memory.
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