That reunion may have felt nice on the nostalgia bone a few months ago, but boy was it a complete disaster. I guess sometimes you really can’t go home again. After last night’s implosion, which came after a long stretch of pitching as the worst starting pitcher in baseball, the Chicago Cubs have released starting pitcher Jake Arrieta.
It’s a sad and frustrating ending for the Cubs and Arrieta. We talked about his now final start with the Cubs earlier today in the Bullets, as well as his comments asking a reporter to take off his mask, which was just a weird and uncomfortable coda to this whole thing.
Officially, the team has placed Arrieta on unconditional release waivers, which will allow all 29 other clubs the opportunity to select him and add him to their 40-man roster. That will not happen. So, Arrieta will clear waivers and become a free agent again, though it’s very hard to see a team picking him up, even on a minor league deal, the rest of the way. If he’s going to continue his big league career, Arrieta will probably have to go to work in the offseason, show out in some bullpen sessions, and then sign a minor league deal with a non-roster invitation to Spring Training. It won’t be with the Cubs.
Again, it’s all just a sad and frustrating ending to a re-upped relationship that had otherwise been such a positive experience for the Cubs, Arrieta, and the fans. Now? There’s a spot on that legacy, and it’s going to take a little time – more than I have at the moment – to unpack.
In the meantime, the Cubs’ plans to go to a six-man rotation appear to have been very short-lived, unless Keegan Thompson is ready to join the big league rotation. He’s been stretching out at Iowa.