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Chicago Cubs Rumors: Team’s top free agent target should be Jake Arrieta

By Jake Misener

MILWAUKEE, WI - APRIL 09: Jake Arrieta #49 of the Chicago Cubs throws a pitch during the fourth inning of a game against the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park on April 9, 2017 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
MILWAUKEE, WI - APRIL 09: Jake Arrieta #49 of the Chicago Cubs throws a pitch during the fourth inning of a game against the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park on April 9, 2017 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) /
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CLEVELAND, OH – OCTOBER 26: Jake Arrieta #49 of the Chicago Cubs walks off the field after the fifth inning against the Cleveland Indians in Game Two of the 2016 World Series at Progressive Field on October 26, 2016 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OH – OCTOBER 26: Jake Arrieta #49 of the Chicago Cubs walks off the field after the fifth inning against the Cleveland Indians in Game Two of the 2016 World Series at Progressive Field on October 26, 2016 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /

Chicago Cubs Rumors: Quality is hard to find

The list of impending free agents is a mixed bag, to put it mildly.

You have names like Yu Darvish, Lance Lynn, Derek Holland. Recognizable to pretty much every common baseball fan. But you have the flip side – names that are recognizable, but for the wrong reasons.

Brett Anderson. John Lackey (who’s nearing 40). C.C. Sabathia. Bartolo Colon.

Suffice to say, those aren’t names you’re willing to stake your postseason hopes on. Arrieta, however, is the opposite. There are other options in the upcoming free agent class. But, to be short, I think Arrieta represents the Cubs’ best shot at long-term success.

Related Story: Breaking down Jake Arrieta's early-season ineffectiveness

Arrieta doesn’t turn 32 till next spring. He pitched more than 200 innings just one time in his big-league career. A low workload and a history of consistent performance on the North Side? Seems like a sure-fire solution to the Cubs’ pitching problem

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