Chicago Cubs Roster News and Rumors: Jake Arrieta Awarded with $10.7 Million Contract
Jake Arrieta is hard to let go, and that is what the Chicago Cubs felt like when they signed him to a new contract that should be regarded as the most expensive ever for a pitcher with just four years of major league service. Several sources have confirmed that Arrieta indeed got a one-year deal worth $10.7 million to avoid arbitration.
The 30-year-old transformed himself into a star last season by helping his team reach the National League wild card and eventually winning the NL Cy Young Award in the process. He went 22-6 with a 1.77 ERA for the entirety of last year, besting every previous high in his career. And by agreeing to the figures the Cubs offered, he essentially will be making $7.07 million more money by this upcoming season.
What Arrieta was asking to avoid arbitration was outrageously unreachable for Chicago ($13 million), while the Cubs offered him $7.5 million, a figure that also wasn't really fair for the type of player Arrieta is. Initially, everyone thought both parties couldn't find a way to compromise since their respective offers had the widest margin among all players in the league who were eligible for arbitration. So the agreement could have been quite a surprise for many observers.
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It simply wasn't the right move to just let Arrieta go considering that the Cubs hit the jackpot when they traded for him back in 2013. At that point, the club was in disarray and couldn't really get back to its winning ways. With him last season, they moved from the bottom of the division to reaching the NL Championship Series. Although they were embarrassed by the New York Mets, the key is that this team became a contender when Arrieta arrived.
He earned $3.63 million last year, while going 56-38 with a 3.70 ERA. The salary he's making come next season is almost double to that of what he earned last year.
