The Chicago Cubs are rolling along as the best team in baseball, but will they be able to lock down their ace pitcher to a long-term extension?
If you did not know before, the beginning of the regular season has been your proof. The Chicago Cubs are the best team in Major League Baseball Led by a powerful pitching staff and an explosive offense, the Cubs are rolling along with an MLB-best 25-7 record. Besides the season-ending knee injury to slugger Kyle Schwarber, the Cubs could not have asked for a better start to the season.
A huge reason for all of their success is reigning Cy Young award winner Jake Arrieta, who has built upon his historic 2015 season with a fast start in 2016. Highlighted by his no-hitter against the Cincinnati Reds in late April, Arrieta currently sits at 7-0 with a league-leading 1.13 ERA. With an incredible mix of pitches that he can command with consistency, Arrieta has been nearly un-hittable.
Arrieta is the clear ace of the Cubs’ staff and arguably the best pitcher in baseball. Considering the Cubs do not have him under a long-term contract, speculation about his free agency is always going to be a story, and it is happening to pop up a lot now.
Arrieta is making $10.7 million with the Cubs this season, and will undoubtedly get a high total in his final year of arbitration next season. After that, unless the Cubs lock him up with a long-term deal, Arrieta will hit free agency, free to sign with any team he chooses. I think it is safe to say he will get a massive contract.
When asked about his value compared to the seven-year, $175 million contract that Stephen Strasburg just signed with the Washington Nationals, Arrieta did not come out and say it, but you can tell he thought that he is worth more.
“I’ll let you judge that,” Arrieta said on Wednesday morning when talking about his free agency value, according to Jesse Rogers of ESPN. “Just look at the numbers.”
When asked specifically about signing long-term with the Cubs, Arrieta was not shy to expressed his infatuation with the Cubs, but there is not going to be a hometown discount.
“I made it clear I like Chicago. I think everyone knows that. If I had it my way, I’d stay here. That’s just one side of the story. We’ll see,” Arrieta said.
“When asked whether he’d give a hometown discount to the Cubs,” Rogers reported, “Arrieta flatly said “no” while shaking his head.”
The Cubs are always going to be strong contenders to bring back Arrieta, but he would be crazy to accept less money from anybody. This guy is the single-best pitcher in the game, and when he hits the open market there are going to be a ton of teams interested in his services. A bidding war will then ensue, it is just how this stuff works.
The Cubs are a well-ran franchise with rich owners who are only making more money from having the team. They are undoubtedly going to have the resources to keep Arrieta around long-term, but there comes a point where spending unlimited amount of cash on a 30-plus-year-old pitcher becomes irresponsible.
I am sure Theo Epstein and company would love to have Arrieta around for many more years, but it has to make sense for both sides. It won’t be long before the Cubs’ core offensive players like Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant and Addison Russell will have to be paid. That is the worst thing about having such a talented team, it is hard to keep everyone around.
In the meantime, the Cubs will sit back and enjoy the next two years of Arrieta on the roster. He is an incredibly talented player who deserves to get paid and somebody is going to write him a huge check. Will it be the Chicago Cubs? There is a good chance it will be, but nothing is guaranteed.
For more MLB coverage, you can visit our hub page.