Report: Chris Archer joins Dodgers as special assistant

Chris Archer, a two-time All-Star in a 10-year major league career, joined the Los Angeles Dodgers as an assistant to the baseball operations department, he told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Monday.

"It's giving me an opportunity to learn and help some younger players, too," Archer told the Post-Gazette. "Player development, scouting, analytics, roster construction, draft, trade ... everything I can possibly learn from that perspective so that I can make a decision whether I want to go the player development or front office route."

Current Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman was the general manager of the Rays when Archer broke into the majors with Tampa Bay in 2012.

Archer, 35, had his career waylaid by injuries, including surgery to address thoracic outlet syndrome that cost him the entire 2020 season.

"I took pride in taking the ball, even when I didn't feel great," Archer told the Post-Gazette. "Maybe if I would have pumped the brakes here and there ... I don't know. But I emptied the tank. I'm content now. In the moment, when it wasn't going great, I was not happy. But in hindsight, I'm super content and grateful for the opportunities that I got."

Archer pitched for the Rays (2012-18, 2021), the Pittsburgh Pirates (2018-19) and the Minnesota Twins (2022), earning All-Star selections in 2015 and 2017. In 243 game games, all but three of them starts, he went 63-89 with a 3.93 ERA, 1,454 strikeouts and 476 walks in 1,357 innings.

He made just two career postseason appearances, throwing a combined 1 2/3 shutout innings for the Rays against the Boston Red Sox in the 2013 American League Division Series.