As expected – though it’s still relieving to have it done – the Chicago Cubs and Jake Arrieta finalized an agreement for the 2016 season, avoiding an arbitration hearing and the discomfort associated therewith.
Arrieta, who is eligible for arbitration one more time before hitting free agency in 2018, gets $10.7 million, which is a bit above the midpoint between what he requested ($13 million) and what the Cubs offered ($7.5 million). It’s right about where things were expected to land when this process started, so all’s well that ends well.
Arrieta made $3.63 million last year en route to winning the Cy Young, so this is actually a really substantial raise for him, even if he’s not yet making what the free agent market would otherwise bear.
With Arrieta now in the fold, the Cubs have settled all of their arbitration cases once again.
As I mentioned yesterday, even after settling, it’s still possible that the Cubs and Arrieta could get together on a long-term extension, though that’s never been the most likely outcome.