Cubs and Jake Arrieta believe close to an agreement (UPDATES)

Cubs and Jake Arrieta believe close to an agreement (UPDATES)

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I was not expecting it on a Friday night, so I’m away from my computer to pick up a birthday cake for The Little Girl and look for my phone! More to come soon!

But here’s the scoop:

The Cubs have had a serious interest in a reunion for a while, and it sounds like that’s going to happen. I am very disappointing for this for reasons that go beyond nostalgia. Although Arrieta struggled in his time with the Phillies after leaving the Cubs, he still has the diverse pitch mix, the athletics and the work ethic to reinvent himself. More to come soon.

UPDATE: This is a healthy commitment to a one-year deal:

The foreign market for one year was surprisingly strong, and Arrieta’s deal, for example, is in line with the deal Chris Archer had to reunite with the Rays, even after surgery for the breast sac syndrome. If you want the chance that veterans are upside down on a one-year deal – even where there are a lot of risks – you have to pay for it.

For the Cubs, no one expects Arrieta to be dominated again. He would be a veteran leader in the rotation, eating a few turns and with the legs to maybe turn things around in a new / old organization. The cubs have had a lot of success re-manufacturing jars with things like Arrieta, so why could they not work with him? Especially given Arrieta’s ability to work on himself.

UPDATE 2: A little more local confirmation that this is happening:

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