Chicago Cubs: Jake Arrieta’s future on the North Side
Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Jake Arrieta has become a leader in the clubhouse but will 2017 be his last season on the North Side?
The Chicago Cubs do not have many question marks as they enter the 2017 season.
As of now, the two question marks for the Cubs are the production they will receive in center field and who will their fifth starting pitcher be in their rotation.
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Moving past the 2017 season, the Cubs do have questions.
The Cubs pitching staff could look dramatically different after the 2017 season considering the free agent statuses of John Lackey and Jake Arrieta. While Lackey is a valuable commodity in the Cubs’ rotation, the question over Arrieta’s future with Cubs takes primary focus.
Over the course of the past two seasons, Arrieta has emerged as a leader within the Cubs’ clubhouse. Arrieta won the 2015 National League Cy Young Award and literally pitched the Cubs into the National League Championship Series against the New York Mets. While Arrieta did regress during the 2016 regular season, he was formidable force for the Cubs during their post-season run.
The Cubs and Arrieta’s agent, Scott Boras, are expected to talk about a potential contract extension at some point within the next month. The impression is, however, that if a deal is not reached between the two sides before the start of the 2017 season then talks will be halted until next off-season.
If Arrieta is not willing to take a two or three-year deal, then there is a strong chance that 2017 will be his last season with the Cubs. The issue is that Boras will be wanting Arrieta to get paid for his past performances. The problem with that is the Cubs’ front office avoids paying players for their past performances and, instead, pays players for their future performance. The problem with Arrieta is that he does not project well as long-term investment. That’s not to discredit what Arrieta has done thus far. That’s just to say that Arrieta is a power-throwing right handed starting pitcher on the wrong side of 30.
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The Cubs will be faced with the question of Arrieta’s future with the team, and right now, the answer is that the veteran starting pitcher does not have a future with the team past the 2017 season.