Now that the Chicago Cubs have signed Yu Darvish, Jake Arrieta may well be the best starting pitcher available in free agency. And yet, unlike fellow free agent pitchers Alex Cobb and Lance Lynn, there has been very little talk about potential suitors. Plenty of teams have been rumored as a landing spot, yet there has been little action.
That may now change. With Darvish off the board, and teams looking to find a player to help lead their rotation, Arrieta could find himself the center of attention. He may not be the same pitcher that Darvish is, but Arrieta could fit as a front of the rotation starter for quite a few teams.
There is a degree of concern with signing the former Cubs starter however. After his impressive Cy Young winning season in 2015, he has not been the same pitcher. Last year, Arrieta posted a decent 14-10 record with a 3.52 ERA and a 1.218 WHiP, but only threw 168.1 innings in his 30 starts. He led the league with 14 wild pitches, and had eight starts when he three five or fewer innings. Clearly, he lost manager Joe Maddon‘s trust over the 2017 campaign.
And yet, Jake Arrieta may well be the best pitcher currently on the market. Which team will end up with the former Chicago Cubs starter? Let’s take a look through a few potential suitors.