Chicago Cubs: What to know ahead of the Winter Meetings

Arbitration Eligible

Right now, the Chicago Cubs have five men on this short list. Which isn’t all too bad considering the list they had in 2015. Headlining the list is none other than 2015 National League Cy Young winner, Jake Arrieta.

Arrieta was hoping to land himself a brand new contract with a few extra zeros at the end, but he agreed to $10.7 million instead. After another great season, not to mention, postseason performances, Jake could be looking to cash in, in what is his final year of arbitration.

That means he’ll end up becoming a free agent unless the front office puts together a deal that will keep him in Chicago for a very long time. His one-year deal could be anywhere between $14-$18 million — which is a lot but won’t break the bank.

Other names on the list include Pedro Strop, Justin Grimm, Hector Rondon, and Munenori Kawasaki. Now, Kawasaki will more than likely be let go from the organization but Strop, Grimm, and Rondon should receive a bump in pay.

Strop received $4.4 million, Grimm, $1.2 million, and Rondon picked up $4.2 million. All of which should expect at least another million to what they earned for 2016. That’ll put Strop and Rondon up to above $5 million while Grimm could sit at either $2 or $3 million.

Remember, the Cubs are looking to keep most of their bullpen together as much as they can. Which brings us to our next topic.