8 MLB pitchers that need to deliver for contenders
Jake from Philly
The Phillies signed Jake Arrieta prior to the 2018 season to lead them to a divisional title…or three. Why else would you pay a guy $75 million over three seasons with $22.5 million options for two more seasons?
Over the first two seasons of that deal, the Phillies have gotten an 18-19 record and cumulative 4.18 ERA. That performance level is pretty much in line with what the Phillies usually get when they throw big money at a player, but likely less than they expected.
Entering 2020, Arrieta is the projected No. 3 starter behind Aaron Nola and free-agent acquisition Zack Wheeler. That staff is supposed to lift the Phillies to something better than the fourth-place status in the NL East that got manager Gabe Kapler fired.
Arrieta has a track record. He was the 2015 Cy Young Award winner for the Cubs and a key member of their 2016 World Series winning rotation. None of that, however, helps the Phillies. His two seasons in Philadelphia have produced truly ordinary results: ERA+s of 104 and 97 and a 1.35 average WHIP.
It’s too much to ask of Arrieta to return to his 2015-16 glory days. But the Phillies would settle for 2017, the season he went 14-10 with a 3.53 ERA in 30 starts and 168 innings before signing that sweet deal.
The NL East is perceived to be pitching-rich, with Atlanta, New York and Washington all viewed as serious contenders. If Arrieta isn’t something better than average, the Phillies probably don’t have the mound depth to win consistently in a pressure-packed race.