Feb. 29--The Chicago Cubs' rebuilding program might have ascended quicker had they kept pitching prospect Chris Archer.
According to a baseball column by Nick Cafardo in Sunday's editions of the Boston Globe, Rays executive Andrew Friedman preferred pitcher Chris Carpenter over Archer in a blockbuster deal that sent Matt Garza to the Cubs in January of 2011.
The column stated that Friedman, now the president of baseball operations with the Los Angeles Dodgers, was leaning toward Carpenter because the analytics indicated he was a better prospect than Archer.
But Friedman was swayed by chief scout Jeff McAvoy to take Archer, 27, who became a 2015 American League All-Star with the Rays and has a 3.33 ERA in 95 lifetime appearances (93 major league starts).
Coincidentally, Carpenter was dealt to the Boston Red Sox as compensation for Theo Epstein leaving to become President of the Cubs. Carpenter pitched in eight games for the Red Sox in 2012 and pitched last season for Triple-A Louisville.
