Did the Chicago Cubs really make a mistake not keeping Jake Arrieta?

Chicago Cubs: Dollars talk – and so does performance

Now, this is where you’re all ready to sharpen your pitchforks and come after me. Why? Easy. Darvish has been a disappointment to this point and only a fool would suggest otherwise. But given how each man has performed and how the market has played out in the year-plus to follow, it’s not a stretch to say that not giving Jake Arrieta wasn’t exactly a mistake.

Before we dive into this, let me make this clear. I am not saying Theo Epstein spent his $126 million prudently when he decided Darvish was the answer in the Cubs rotation. The jury is still very much out on that one – but the early returns haven’t been promising. I’m simply saying that Arrieta hasn’t been worth anywhere close to the $27.5 million AAV the Phillies are shelling out in the first two years of his deal.

Keep in mind, Chicago paid Arrieta just $29,967,500 from 2015 to 2017. Last year alone, the Phillies paid him $30 million and they’re ponying up an additional $25 million this season. The worst part? They’re paying him for production that’s now three to four years in the past – and the future is hardly what anyone would call promising.