MLB Rumors: Milwaukee Brewers Reportedly 'In' on Jake Arrieta, Should They Move Ahead With the Signing?
Arrieta is one of the top remaining players on the free agent market
Though this Hot Stove season has been slow-moving, it has still produced its share of interesting rumors that includes a new one related to free agent pitcher Jake Arrieta.
Over on Twitter, MLB analyst and insider Jim Bowden reported that the Milwaukee Brewers are "in" on the aforementioned pitcher.
The Brewers' reported interest in Arrieta is notable for a few reasons.
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For one, despite not having one of the better rotations in the Majors last season, the Brewers still managed to finish just a game out of the postseason.
Adding a pitcher like Arrieta could help the Brewers close the gap on the National League teams that made the playoffs last year, particularly their division rival, the Chicago Cubs.
Arrieta spent the last few years establishing himself as a star pitcher with the Cubs, and he will likely be a significant loss for that team. His departure could be particularly stinging for the Cubs if he signed with a team they will be seeing a lot next season.
Signing Arrieta still does come with some risk, however.
While Arrieta was among the better pitchers in the game from 2014 to 2016, his stats dropped off quite noticeably last year, as seen in Baseball Reference.
It is possible that Arrieta's best days as a starting pitcher may be behind him, and considering that the Brewers will likely have to offer him a big contract to add him to the team, they may end up paying more for what he's already done as opposed to what he can still provide to them next season and in the years ahead.
The player that Arrieta already is at this point in his career can still be a nice pitcher to have in the rotation, but a case can be made that the Brewers may be better off spending their money on multiple acquisitions as opposed to one high-priced free agent.
More news about the latest MLB rumors should be made available soon.
