Personally, I am a little bummed that Jake won't be with the Cubbies anymore. Besides being a very solid starting pitcher, we female fans will also miss his "physique"....<sigh>
Now that I've said that, here's the real news...
The Philadelphia Phillies made a bold move (after all, they're among the lousiest teams in baseball).
Two people familiar with the decision tell The Associated Press that free-agent ace Jake Arrieta and the Phillies have agreed to a three-year deal.
Both people spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity Sunday because the contract is pending a physical. The deal is reportedly worth $75 million for three years. NBC Sports Philadelphia first reported the agreement.
The 32-year-old righty was among several top free agents who didn't get a deal for six or seven years in a changing offseason market. The Phillies, who have plenty of money to spend, waited until the price was right for them.
Arrieta won the 2015 NL Cy Young Award with the Chicago Cubs and helped them win the World Series the next season. He was 14-10 with a 3.53 ERA last year.
Arrieta was 68-31 with a 2.73 ERA in five seasons in Chicago after starting his career in Baltimore. He'll join Aaron Nola atop the Phillies' rotation on a team that finished last in the NL East.
The Phillies haven't had a winning season since 2011, but now have added veteran slugger Carlos Santana, Arrieta and quality relievers to a young nucleus that could show considerable improvement over last season's 66-96 mark.
Arrieta has started at least 30 games in three straight seasons, but he's only pitched more than 200 innings once — 229 in 2015.
Arrieta had a 4.67 ERA in first 16 starts last season, but finished strong, going 7-4 with a 2.26 ERA in his final 14 outings.
But if rumors are true, Arrieta would have made more money if he had accepted the Chicago Cubs' offer than he will with Philly.