MLB Free Agency Rumor: Could The Phillies Be Jake Arrieta's New Home?
The latest MLB free agency rumors surrounding Jake Arrieta suggest that he might find a new home with the Philadelphia Phillies.
The Chicago Cubs has added Yu Darvish to its rotation with a six-year $126 million contract, a deal that the team also reportedly made in "one last call" to the former ace in an attempt to gauge his interest of returning.
According to Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports, no official offer was made because it was reliant on Darvish declining the offer. Arrieta, on the other hand, "was not prepared" to accept a deal.
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MLB Daily Dish posits that this response meant he was expecting a better offer or that it was never going to come through anyway with Darvish set to sign with the Cubs in the end.
The publication also speculates that the Cubs only made that "one last call" out of courtesy. Whatever it is, it looks like Arrieta is on the lookout for a new team.
Ex-MLB general manager Jim Duquette says he will be perfect with the Phillies, explaining on his piece on MLB.com, "With a crop of youngsters that includes Rhys Hoskins, J.P. Crawford, Scott Kingery and Jorge Alfaro, the Phillies appear to be on the cusp of a revival."
He further detailed, "Although the club has already added Carlos Santana on a three-year deal to bolster the lineup, Philadelphia still needs to stabilize its rotation. Adding Arrieta could accomplish that goal...The Cubs made a similar move by signing Jon Lester after going 73-89 in 2014, and the veteran lefty was a key part of the team surprisingly winning 97 games and making the NL Championship Series the following season."
Rumor has it, however, that the Phillies is in search of a veteran starter, and NJ.com believes that Arrieta might fill in the slot even over other candidates like Jason Vargas or Chris Tillman.
Arrieta could be looking at a three-year contract worth $80 million with the Phillies, which would make him the sixth highest paid pitcher in MLB.
