While the team hasn't announced anything yet, the Phillies have reportedly agreed to terms with right-hander Jake Arrieta on a three-year contract that will pay him $75 million. It was already assumed that Arrieta would not be returning to the Cubs -- at least not after they inked Yu Darvish -- but this of course makes it official.
Arrieta, of course, salvaged his career and then some on the Cubs' watch. After being traded to the Cubs from the Orioles in July 2013, Arrieta proceeded to pitch to a deeply ERA+ of 146 across 128 starts for Chicago. In addition to winning the NL Cy Young Award with a legendary 2015 campaign, Arrieta was also a core member of the 2016 team that won the World Series. Without Arrieta's strong starts in Games 2 and 6 of that World Series, the Cubs probably don't hoist the trophy. For all those reasons, Arrieta, even though he's apparently bound for Philly, will remain a beloved baseball figure on the North Side of Chicago.
Speaking of which, Arrieta's (reported) new team makes its first trip to Wrigley Field in 2018 on June 5, and even if Arrieta's turn in the rotation doesn't come up during that series, he'll be acknowledged. No less a Cub than Anthony Rizzo thinks it ought to go a little something like this ...
Anthony Rizzo on Jake Arrieta to #Phillies: “When we play them, I would expect nothing but loud standing ovations, videos, because he deserves all of it. He’s part of the #Cubs’ family forever.”
— Patrick Mooney (@PJ_Mooney) March 11, 2018
That sounds about right. Anyone who suited up for the drought-busting 2016 Cubs is going to be North Side royalty until the mountains crumble into the sea. That's especially the case for Arrieta, who was a rotation stalwart throughout the team's championship ascent.
Arrieta is no longer a Cub, but he's not done hearing the cheers at Wrigley Field.
