Cubs Reaction: Former ace Jake Arrieta on his way to Philadelphia

The former perennial ace of the Chicago Cubs has found a new home with the Philadelphia Phillies. Now, Jake Arrieta will do his best to help push them to new heights.

For the better part of the offseason, the market for free agent starting pitchers had been non-existent. When news broke of the Chicago Cubs’ agreement with Yu Darvish, it was believed to be the beginning of a domino effect. It naturally did not happen.

Fast forward a month, and the chips seem to be falling throughout the league, as starting pitchers are finally coming to terms with teams.

Today, news broke that former Cubs ace Jake Arrieta reached an agreement with the Philadelphia Phillies. According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, the deal is for three-years and $75 million. Many people will believe this to be quite a massive contract at $25 million per season; however, with the pitching market seemingly dried up, it’s a contract that makes sense.

Moving forward, where does that now put the Phillies and what can fans expect from Arrieta in 2018?

A auspicious rotation in the making

The Philadelphia Phillies do not boast a starting rotation that necessarily jumps out. Anchored by Aaron Nola and Jerad Eickhoff over the past few seasons, they are beginning to find their groove.

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The past two seasons have seen the Phillies rotation as a whole stay consistent. In 2016, the team finished with a 4.64 ERA and posted 13.6 Wins Above Replacement. In 2017, they finished with a slightly better 4.57 rotational ERA and posted 12.7 Wins Above Replacement.

Nola, the proverbial ace of the club, pitched well in 2017. He pitched to a 12-11 record with a 3.54 ERA and 4.3 Wins Above Replacement. The staff’s number two, Jerad Eickhoff, unfortunately, struggled after a respectable 2016 campaign, pitching to a 4.71 ERA in twenty-four starts.

The rotation projected to round out with Vince Velasquez, Nick Pivetta, and Ben Lively. Velasquez is the only other piece in the rotation who possessed any authentic experience before last season. Unfortunately, Velasquez also started just 15 games in 2017 after surgery on his middle finger shelved him for the remainder of the season

Nick Pivetta did start 26 games for the Phillies in 2017, however, pitched to a disappointingly high 6.02 ERA. Ben Lively, on the other hand, posted a respectable 4.26 ERA in his 15 starts.

Not a ton of realistic experience moving into 2018.

There’s a new ace in town

Keeping this in mind, Jake Arrieta will be the ace of the Philadelphia Phillies rotation. As our own Jake Misener wrote about a couple of weeks ago, this move by the Phillies made a ton of sense.

Generally speaking, by adding a remarkable rotation piece such as Arrieta, it sets the Phillies rotation up nicely for the next few seasons. It ultimately allows pressure taken off for both Aaron Nola and Jared Eickhoff. It will also definitely add a new level of leadership to the clubhouse.

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Despite three straight seasons of 90+ losses, the Phillies are starting to move in the right direction. The club possesses a ton of young talent, mixed with some substantial veteran presence. To emphasize, Jake Arrieta will anchor not only their rotation but also their clubhouse. Comparatively, it will help this team in the right direction. Phillies fans should be excited about their new ace.