Neal Huntington has strongly implied that the Pittsburgh Pirates plan to pick up Chris Archer's $9 million team option for next season.

Archer is currently on the injured list with inflammation in his throwing shoulder.

"There's a lot to like with Chris Archer. We want to make sure that we do the right thing by him," Huntington said.  "We don't want him to feel like he has to come back out to earn his spot. We see some really positive signs. We recognize the issues and challenges, but we see some really positive signs and expect Chris is going to be a really good major league pitcher again next year."

The Pirates acquired Archer in a trade with the Tampa Bay Rays at the 2018 deadline. In 172 innings with Pittsburgh, he has a 4.92 ERA and 10.6 K/9.