MLB Free Agency: Jake Arrieta To Sign With Milwaukee Brewers?
Jake Arrieta is one of the top pitchers available on the market today, and the Milwaukee Brewers are in need of someone like him. The Brewers is rebuilding the team, and its No. 1 priority is pitching. Rumors suggest the Brewers would sign Arrieta the 2018 MLB season.
The Milwaukee Brewers had a previous connection with Jake Arrieta, it turned out. The team drafted the 31-year-old in 2004 as a prep player. However, Arrieta did not sign with the Brewers. He started his professional baseball career with the Baltimore Orioles three years later and debuted with the team in the big leagues in 2010. Now that Arrieta has entered free agency, the Brewers are reportedly eyeing to acquire him, according to Brew Crew Ball.
While Arrieta reached the high echelon of pitchers in the past, his performance somehow dipped this 2017, so there’s a risk in signing him. In the most recent season, he made 30 starts, threw 168 1/3 innings, recorded a 3.53 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, 7.8 percent walk rate, and 23.1 percent strikeout rate.
Trade rumors suggest that instead of a six- or seven-year contract, the former Chicago Cubs pitcher would be able to sign a four-year deal worth $100 million. The Brewers might just be willing to pay a premium contract for him, as there is no other available player yet who exceeds what Arrieta can offer now.
Aside from the Brewers, there are four other baseball teams that are reportedly interested in signing Jake Arrieta. The player has drawn interests from the Minnesota Twins, Toronto Blue Jays, Colorado Rockies and Texas Rangers, Yahoo Sports reports. Arrieta declined a $17.4 million qualifying offer from the Chicago Cubs weeks ago, but the Cubs might still try to get him back. He finished his run with the Cubs in 2017.
Arrieta is not the same pitcher he was in his elite 2015 season when he won the National League Cy Young Award. So for the Twins, he would be a fallback if they fail to acquire Yu Darvish, according to FanSided. The dilemma over his recent performance could also hinder the Rockies to spend money on him for a long-term period, Purple Row reports.
