Jake Arrieta’s contract with the Chicago Cubs is set to expire at season’s end, but the star pitcher couldn’t be less worried about hitting the open market.
Arrieta has had his ups and downs this year, which isn’t ideal for a player about to enter free agency. The right-hander currently owns a 10-8 record with a 3.88 ERA through 22 starts this season.
And while Arrieta knows he hasn’t performed to his full potential this year, it’s very apparent he knows he can be a valuable asset to whichever team requests his services in the offseason.
“I haven’t had the year I would like, but it’s not over yet,” Arrieta told USA TODAY Sports. “How many people can do what I do, anyways? A handful of guys?
“Everyone wants to have a career year, but if I stick to what I’m doing, I like my chances. I’ll be fine.’”
Arrieta is part of a Cubs rotation that features household names in Jon Lester, Kyle Hendricks and newcomer Jose Quintana. And considering the money that likely will be in demand for Chicago’s top-tier pitchers, Arrieta understands his days in a Cubs uniform could be numbered.
“It’s completely business, so I get it,” Arrieta said. “They (Cubs) haven’t offered me anything because they know if they do, it’s probably not something I would accept, so why make the offer? I get it.
“If you let that stuff bother you, you don’t completely understand the sport, because that’s part of it. They have to do what’s in the best interest of the organization in the long-term. Is that spending money on me or getting a guy like (Jose) Quintana? They’re going to try to establish a rotation without spending $30 million-plus a season, and maybe sign another bat. Who knows what they do?”
If Arrieta is, in fact, bound for a new home this winter, we have a feeling he’d like to end his stint in Chicago with another World Series title.
Thumbnail photo via Patrick Gorski/USA TODAY Sports Images
