After three so-so seasons with the Philadelphia Phillies, pitcher Jake Arrieta has returned to the Chicago Cubs signing a one year contract worth between $6.5-7 million.
Arrieta, who turns 35 next month, had his best seasons in Wrigley after a mediocre tenure with the Baltimore Orioles. I remember when the Boston Red Sox used to routinely pound Arrieta into sand. But by the time he joined the Cubs starting rotation in 2014, Arrieta was a completely different pitcher. I wish The American Spectator hadn't taken down most of my articles because I correctly predicted Arrieta would win the NL Cy Young in 2015. It is probably the best baseball prediction I have ever made.
Arrieta also won a World Series ring with the Cubs in 2016 and his lone All-Star Team selection before coming back down to earth. Arrieta went 68-31 with a 2.73 ERA over five seasons with the Cubs. In three seasons in Philly, Arrieta was 22-23 with a 4.36 ERA. Not quite as bad as his years with the Orioles, but a significant come down. Arietta hopes a return to the Cubs will represent a return to his old form.
I doubt this will come to pass. At the stage of his career, Arietta is returning to become a mentor to younger pitchers. The 2021 Cubs will be a different team with the departures of Yu Darvish and Jon Lester not to mention the possibility of Kris Bryant being dealt away. There is always the chance that if Arrieta does well but the Cubs don't that he would be dealt before the end of July.
However long Arrieta is in Chicago this time around if both sides temper their expectations he could be a plus for a not so great Cubs team in 2021.
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