Chicago Cubs and pitcher Jake Arrieta reached an agreement on a pending one-year physical contract, according to several reports on Friday, including Robert Murray of FanSided and Jon Heyman of MLB Network. Arrieta will return to the club after having last launched for the Cubs in 2017, a year after winning a World Series with Chicago in 2016.
Arrieta is heading for his 35-year season and pitched for 5.08 ERA and 1.51 WHIP in nine games last season for the Phillies. He hit just 32 when walking 16 out of 44 1/3 innings. In his three years in Philadelphia, Arrieta went from an ERA from 3.96 to 4.64 to 5.08, while his strikeout rate decreased and the allowed hit rate increased.
Behind Kyle Hendricks, Zach Davies and Alec Mills, Arrieta imagines being next in line for a rotation place. There is also Trevor Williams, Adbert Alzolay, Kohl Stewart, Shelby Miller and several others. Arrieta is also not a sure thing to stay, despite the lack of the “wow” factor here.
Basically, he’s an autograph for lottery tickets right now.
It is, however, noteworthy due to the aspect of reunion. Check out Arrieta’s three stages in her career:
- Orioles: 358 IP, 20-25, 5.46 ERA
- Cubs: 803 IP, 68-31, 2.73 ERA
- Phillies: 352 2/3 IP, 22-23, 4.36 ERA
He was negotiated with the Cubs in 2014 along with Pedro Strop (who ended up being one of the most productive peacemakers in the history of the Cubs) by Scott Feldman and Steve Clevenger. He ended up making 25 games in 2014 and many don’t realize how good he was on the almost ignored Cubs team that year. He even finished ninth in the poll for Cy Young.
The following season, Arrieta beat Cy Young after making 22-6 with 1.77 ERA, 0.87 WHIP and 236 eliminations in 229 entries. He had four complete games and two shutouts. From June 21 (a closing in Minnesota) until the end of the regular season, Arrieta had 16-1 (the Cubs were 18-2) with an ERA of 0.86 in 20 matches. He then shut down the wild card game.
Next season, Arrieta finished ninth again in the poll for Cy Young, while the Cubs won the World Series. Arrieta won her two games in the World Series and even took one without batting to sixth place in Game 2.
Again, this signature is mostly nostalgia, but who knows? Throwing to the Cubs is the only place where Arrieta has found sustained success in the majors. For anything worthwhile – probably not very much – Arrieta had an ERA of 1.43 out of 82 entries pitching to then receiver, now manager of Cubs, David Ross.
Both Arrieta and the Cubs will be waiting for a meeting here and something loose.