Report: Yankees inquired about Rays' Archer, among 5 teams to scout him Sunday

The market for Tampa Bay Rays ace Chris Archer appears to be heating up, and an AL East rival might be leading the charge.

The New York Yankees are reportedly one of the teams inquiring about Archer, according to ESPN's Jerry Crasnick.

Per MLB.com's Bill Chastain, Yankees scouts attended Archer's start on Sunday, alongside representatives from the Arizona Diamondbacks, Los Angeles Dodgers, Atlanta Braves, and Cleveland Indians. The 29-year-old likely made a good impression, as he recorded a season-high 13 strikeouts over six innings against the Miami Marlins.

With the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline now a little over one week away, there's been more speculation about Archer's future in Tampa, including a report on Saturday suggesting he's now garnering significant interest. But Crasnick reports that opposing teams remain skeptical of the Rays' desire to trade Archer anywhere this summer, let alone to a division rival like the Yankees who they see 19 times a year.

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Archer has experienced an up-and-down season for the Rays in 2018. Over just 16 starts he owns a 4.30 ERA and 1.38 WHIP while striking out 99 batters, and missed nearly all of June due to an abdominal strain.

If traded, Archer is likely to come at a high cost since he's under contract for another three years at $27.5 million, including club options in 2020 and '21.