Jake Arrieta of the Chicago Cubs walks out to the field before the game against the Arizona Diamondbacks. (Photo : Getty Images/Christian Petersen)
Chicago Cubs starter Jake Arrieta is one of the best pitchers in the MLB today after a rough start to his career with the Baltimore Orioles. He is set to become a free agent after the 2017 season but the Cubs and Arrieta are far from agreeing to a contract extension.
The 30-year-old was selected in the fifth round of the 2007 MLB Draft by the Orioles and was considered one of the best prospects at that time. However, he struggled in his time in Baltimore after making his major league debut in 2010.
According to Baseball Reference, Arrieta had a 20-25 record with a 5.46 ERA in three and a half season. He was traded to the Cubs in the 2013 MLB season along with reliever Pedro Strop for starter Scott Feldman and catcher Steve Clevenger.
Since arriving in Chicago, the Missouri-native discovered his form and was a completely different pitcher. He has a 41-13 record with a 2.17 ERA since the trade and is currently 5-0 with a 1.00 ERA to start the 2016 MLB season.
Arrieta won the 2015 NL Cy Young Award after going 22-6 with a 1.77 ERA last season. He is due for a big contract when he hits free agency and the Cubs are not looking to extend him with two years remaining of team control.
According to SB Nation, Arrieta's agent Scott Boras is looking for a seven-year contract extension worth north of $200 million. The Cubs likely won't give him the deal this season but expect them to start discussing again next year.
Many MLB teams would have a lot of concerns giving a 30-year-old pitcher a $200 million deal due to the stress on their elbows and shoulders after hundreds of innings pitched in the majors. However, Arrieta has only thrown a total of 831.1 innings since his major league career started.
It is an asset that Boras will be pitching to the Cubs as well as other interested teams. His client is also known for his strict diet, work ethic and insane routine. Arrieta was held back by the Orioles' pitching staff but Cubs coaches returned him to his basics and gave him confidence.
The last big-money contract Boras negotiated was in the 2015 offseason when he got the Washington Nationals to give starting pitcher Max Scherzer a seven-year, $210 million deal.
Check out the video below for Arrieta's second-career no-hitter thrown against the Cincinnati Reds on April 21.
