Jake Arrieta rumors will be a big component of MLB free agency this winter. The Chicago Cubs want to re-sign Arrieta, but the allure of signing a big-money deal as a free agent will give other teams a shot at landing the former Cy Young Award winner. A report by the Chicago Sun-Times recently revealed some odds for Arrieta to sign with different teams around the league. Cubs fans may be dismayed to learn that the team isn’t near the top of that list.
The Texas Rangers are receiving 3-2 odds, the Washington Nationals are at 4-1, and the Milwaukee Brewers are at 5-1. This seems to make those three teams the favorites to sign Jake Arrieta for the 2018 MLB season and beyond. The Chicago Cubs are listed at 12-1 odds and the field is at 17-3 so far. This means that people looking to bet on the situation would make more money on betting for the Cubs rather than 26 other teams around Major League Baseball.
As reported by ESPN , the Chicago Cubs extended qualifying offers to Jake Arrieta and Wade Davis earlier in the week. The pitchers have until November 16 to make a decision on whether they want to sign one-year, $17.4 million contracts with the Cubs. It is considered very unlikely that they will do so, as there are long-term deals awaiting both pitchers in free agency. It would require a lot of contract years and a lot of money for the front office of the Cubs to convince them to stay.
After making qualifying offers, now comes the hard part for #Cubs , Jake Arrieta and Wade Davis: https://t.co/y0UrOjnCVT
( @MooneyNBCS ) pic.twitter.com/FToKq0B8zc
— NBC Sports Chicago (@NBCSChicago) November 6, 2017
Back to the Jake Arrieta rumors, the 31-year-old starting pitcher is going to be one of the biggest free agents on the open market. During the 2015 MLB season , Arrieta had a 22-6 record, 1.77 ERA, and 0.865 WHIP that ended up winning him the National League Cy Young Award. He also became a very important component of the Cubs’ postseason roster over the last three years. In nine playoff starts, Arrieta posted a 3.08 ERA and 1.082 WHIP, showing how valuable he could be to any team.
In 2017, Arrieta slipped a bit, posting a 3.53 ERA, 1.218 WHIP, and 163 strikeouts in 168 1/3 innings of work. He turned it on in the playoffs, though, giving up no earned runs in four innings against the Washington Nationals and then just one run in six and 2/3 innings of work against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Arrieta is the type of ace starting pitcher that could elevate a team, which is why the Texas Rangers, Philadelphia Phillies, Washington Nationals, and Milwaukee Brewers are already showing interest. Could the Chicago Cubs lose him?
More Jake Arrieta rumors are expected to surface as additional teams meet with him and his agent in the coming weeks and there is an expectation that he could receive close to $200 million this offseason.
[Featured Image by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images]
