Chicago Cubs: What Jake Arrieta might have meant to the 2018 team

Instead of bringing back 2015 National League Cy Young winner Jake Arrieta, the Chicago Cubs made a mistake and looked for other avenues this offseason.

When the 2017 offseason began, the big question for Chicago Cubs fans surrounded the future of right-hander Jake Arrieta in Cubbie Blue. Arrieta gave the Cubs five remarkable seasons, going 68-31 with a 2.73 ERA.

However, there was an odd sense that his time in Chicago had run its course. In his final campaign, his earned run average rose to its highest point since 2013 and fans felt like it was time to move on and make way to add another elite pitcher to the rotation.

As we all know, the Cubs let Arrieta walk and signed Yu Darvish to a six-year, $126 million deal. It seemed like the sexy move to make at the time, and to pair with another intriguing addition of Tyler Chatwood, the Cubs rotation looked to be the best the team has had in the Joe Maddon era.

However, these moves have completely fallen flat for the Cubs and I want to show what Jake Arrieta in the rotation would have meant for this team.

Chicago Cubs: Bringing consistency to the mix

First and foremost? Stability. Since Jake Arrieta put on the Philadelphia Phillies uniform, he’s gone 9-9 with a 3.54 ERA. He’s thrown 147 1/3  innings, struck out 109 and Philly has gone 13-13 in games he’s pitched in.

Arrieta would not only bring a stable arm to the Cubs rotation, but a healthy one too, as he hasn’t hit the DL this season. Compare this to the likes of Tyler Chatwood, Mike Montgomery and Yu Darvish, who have combined for an ERA of 4.53 and four stints on the DL – including one of the season-ending variety.

Next, he could have brought some relief to an overtaxed Cubs pen. Both Montgomery and Chatwood combined are averaging 4.99 innings pitched in games started, while Arrieta is averaging 5.66 innings per start.

Adding the former ace would give the Cubs almost an extra inning per start, and when it adds up that’s a lot more rest for the bullpen. He’s started 26 games in 2018, which would rank third amongst Cubs hurlers. This would allow for Chicago arms to be more effective and rested down the stretch, helping immensely in the home stretch. Arrieta would allow the Cubs to add Montgomery back to the bullpen, giving them a badly-needed lefty reliever and improving their fleet of arms.

Chicago Cubs: With Arrieta in-tow, this team would be elite

The Cubs are 78-54 entering August 30, and 48 of their wins (62 percent) have come in games started by the likes of Lester, Hendricks, and Quintana. These starters headline the eighth-ranked pitching staff in all of baseball.

With Cole Hamels coming to Chicago with new life, the Cubs have a staff a lot of teams envy. However, that fifth spot in the rotation remains up for grabs. Add Arrieta to this rotation and we see the Cubs right there with not only Houston for best staff in baseball, but top one of the best records in the game, as well.

With the Cubs looking toward the postseason, the four-man rotation seems set, but seeing inconsistency from Lester, Hendricks, and Q lends some uncertainty on their success come October.

Having a reliable fifth option to come in a save a rough outing from one of these arms could be huge. Sure, Montgomery and Jesse Chavez are there to be long relievers and help the Cubs win a ‘bullpen game,’ but having a let’s say, Quintana and Arrieta duo to go in a winner-take-all-game could be the difference in another World Series run.

The Cubs took a risk by letting Jake Arrieta walk. That risk hasn’t paid off but Theo and the front office have done their best to make up for Jake’s replacements and the Cubs find themselves in position to win their third straight division title. Things are great in Chicago right now, but with Arrieta as a part of this team, the Cubs could be closer to Boston than anybody in baseball.