MLB free agency 2017: 5 best spots for Jake Arrieta

3. Milwaukee Brewers

It’s no longer a rebuild in Milwaukee, as the Brewers proved in 2017 that they are for real. The young Brew Crew won 86 games and pushed the Cubs all the way to the final weeks of the season before ultimately ceding the NL Central crown and finishing a few games out of the Wild Card. As the offseason approaches, the Brewers have emerged as an interesting contender to land Jake Arrieta.

The Brewers have the makings of one of the best rotations in the National League with young arms Zach Davies, Jimmy Nelson and Chase Anderson. Milwaukee spent only $83 million on their team in 2017 and won’t see much of a bump next year with most of their key hitters still a few years away from arbitration.

Milwaukee is a smallish market, but they still finished sixth in the National League in attendance last year. While the Brewers will never be able to approach $200 million in payroll, bumping up from the low eighties to $110-125 million over the next few years is very feasible.

The issue here is whether or not Arrieta has an interest in playing for Milwaukee after spending the last five years in Chicago. In many ways, the up-and-coming core for the Brewers is not unlike the group Arrieta has played with for the Cubs. The Milwaukee fans are also just as passionate about their team.

To land Arrieta, the Brewers will need a few other big-market players to have limited interest. They won’t be able to sweep in with a blockbuster offer like the Arizona Diamondbacks made Zack Greinke. Look for the Brewers to make a strong offer, but ultimately come up short.