Will Cubs sign Arrieta to long-term deal before second arbitration hearing?
After winning the National League Cy Young Award in 2015 with the Chicago Cubs, Jake Arrieta is set to get a large raise from his salary of $3.63 million entering his second year of arbitration.
Arrieta is projected to receive around $10.4 million in 2016, a possible $7.22 raise, according to MLBTradeRumors.com. The numbers are based off previous cases of David Price in 2013 receiving a $5.76 raise in a second year of arbitration, and Felix Hernandez’s second arbitration case in 2010 where the Mariners ultimately offered the pitcher a multi-year deal.
While the Cubs have yet to show their hand with a potential deal for Arrieta, the norm is for teams to offer pitchers of his caliber multi-year deals. At 30-years-old, it would be best for Chicago to lock up Arrieta before he can get a chance to test his value on the open market.
The Cubs have already dropped millions on signing Jason Heyward, John Lackey and Ben Zobrist; is there enough in the bank for the team to lock up Arrieta long term? The Chicago ace getting a second year of arbitration could be a risky move should the Cubs wait until after 2016.
