Jake Arrieta Has a Lot of Nuts, But Should the Cubs Re-Sign Him? And Other Bullets

Nov 16, 2017

Are people excited for ‘Justice League’? I was never big into the DC world, so it’s not for me (though Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy was freaking awesome). And maybe it’s for that reason that I look at the trailers for ‘Justice League’ and I just think it looks so absurdly bad. It reminds me of the ‘Batman v. Superman’ trailers, and how you could just see how obviously bad that flick was going to be. Am I just a fun-hating jerk, or is that studio just plainly missing the mark?

Scott Boras is a really good agent. At this point, whatever you think of him, you cannot deny his talent. One of the subtle (well, I suppose technically it’s extremely UN-subtle) things he’s become great at in the last five years is making sure to get his clients’ names in the headlines. He does it with outrageous asks, binders of data, and, of course, absurd metaphor quotes. His big free agent pitcher this year, of course, is Jake Arrieta, and Boras did his job: “Jake Arrieta, he’s a big squirrel with a lot of nuts in his trees.”

Transposing the locations of “big” and “lot of” in that quote probably would have gotten even more headlines, but the fact remains, the baseball world was talking about Boras’s client. You can read more about his pitch to the Cubs on Arrieta here at NBC, but you can probably guess the gist: Arrieta is awesome, he’s proven in the playoffs, the Cubs want to stay in “Playoffville”, and the Cubs have become a financial behemoth in the last few years.

Arrieta, who will pitch at age 32 next year, demonstrated in the second half – before his hamstring injury – that he can still be a dominating pitcher, despite the velocity he lost. That’s a big deal for a pitcher headed toward a big contract and, eventually, his mid-30s. Not every pitcher can continue succeeding without premium velocity. For Arrieta, though, I can’t help but wonder if his complicated mechanics and crossfire delivery (which demands a great deal of physical strength and health to keep repeating) will continue to give him periods where his command leaves him for a stretch. And, as with any pitcher, when he gets a little older, you worry that those stretches would get longer and longer. When considering the luxury tax implications of a massive contract for Arrieta at this juncture (just as I would say about hesitating to sign Yu Darvish, too), it’s not just about how much money the Cubs have. It’s also about making sure keeping Arrieta today isn’t going to throw a number of wrenches into the best laid plans for 2019 and beyond.

This doesn’t mean it’s going to immediately be the end of the Juiced Ball Era, but keep this on your radar:

. @MLB in midst of “thorough” review of data relating to composition of baseballs, Dan Halem said today. @MLBNetwork

— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) November 15, 2017

The Pirates have lost their Latin American scouting director after some improprieties were investigated by MLB. The Pirates are not expected to be punished, however, unlike the Braves, who are going to get the hammer.

Cubs affiliates are the best:

We've been keeping this under wraps for awhile, but now that @people has announced @blakeshelton, as Sexiest Man, we are proud to announce our own @SluggoEmeralds is the Sexiest Mascot Alive! pic.twitter.com/sSSt7J8uvD
— Eugene Emeralds (@EugeneEmeralds) November 15, 2017

Sometimes bunt:

Bunting > Tweeting. #WednesdayWisdom pic.twitter.com/x0fKYaweIS

— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) November 15, 2017

If you missed it yesterday amid the flurry of transaction rumors, be advised: MLB is trying to get the players to agree to a pitch clock for the 2018 season, and my read is that it’s probably going to happen in some form.

I hate my pillow (which is actually more like a decorative-type pillow, but it’s the best I can do). Hated the pillow before it, and the one before it, and so on. I know it’s cliche, but seriously, why is it so hard to find a good pillow? I have literally laid down on pillows in stores and ones I think I like, I take home and they suck. But I keep takings swings – so I see a supposedly good one as a Deal of the Day at Amazon, and I’m gonna have to give it a try (unless someone tells me otherwise). But if anyone has non-obvious pillow recommendations, I’m wide open to suggestions.

Meanwhile, make sure you’re periodically checking out Amazon’s Countdown to Black Friday, which includes the Deals of the Day (more than usual), but also special deals in every section.

Also, I found what I think is a pretty excellent deal while perusing the clearance section at the MLB Shop:

Hey there Javy, Kris, and Anthony shirseys for under $15: https://t.co/xosdsknGfA pic.twitter.com/4j3s2Dor1i

— Bleacher Nation (@BleacherNation) November 16, 2017

written by

Brett Taylor

Brett Taylor is the Lead Cubs Writer at Bleacher Nation, and you can find him on Twitter at @BleacherNation and on LinkedIn here. Brett is also the founder of Bleacher Nation, which opened up shop in 2008 as an independent blog about the Chicago Cubs. Later growing to incorporate coverage of other Chicago sports, Bleacher Nation is now one of the largest regional sports blogs on the web.

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Jake Arrieta Has a Lot of Nuts, But Should the Cubs Re-Sign Him? And Other Bullets

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