Another Sign Makes Jake Arrieta's Future With The Cubs More Clear

Jake Arrieta has most likely pitched his final game with the Chicago Cubs and that's becoming more clear as he has already put his house for sale a day after the Cubs were eliminated from the NLCS by the Los Angeles Dodgers. According to Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune, there's a for sale sign in front of Arrieta's Chicago house.

Arrieta, 31, is now a free agent and if his contract demands remain the same it seems that he will be pitching elsewhere in 2018. His agent, Scott Boras, has in more than one occasion brought up a Max Scherzer type deal for Arrieta. This was from MLB insider Jon Heyman back in March.

The Cubs and Jake Arrieta’s agent Scott Boras spoke within the past few weeks, and there was said to be “no traction.” The expectation is that Arrieta will be a free agent at year’s end. Cubs people love Arrieta, and helped turn him into a big star. However, the belief is that they wouldn’t go more than four years, if that. Arrieta is looking for a mega deal along the lines of the Max Scherzer contract with the Nats

The Washington Nationals signed Scherzer to a seven-year contract worth $210 million. Since the Cubs traded for Arrieta in 2013, the right-hander revolutionized his career and in 2015 he won the National League Cy Young Award after the best second half in MLB history. If we take a step back and look at his tenure with the Cubs, it really is one of the most impressive short-term careers in the franchise's history. Arrieta was 68-31, with a 2.73 ERA, in his 4.5 years in Chicago, while posting a 3.08 ERA in nine postseason starts. Of course that includes being a key for the 2016 club that won the World Series. Incredible individual and team accomplishments, but after a regression, especially this season, Arrieta's contract demands will most likely be too much for the Cubs to match. Already putting his house for sale points to that being the case. However, Arrieta's wife says they were selling the house no matter what happens in free agency.

We shall see.