Arrieta Agrees to Lucrative One-Year Deal with the Chicago Cubs

Jake Arrieta is staying in the Windy City…

The 30-year-old part-Puerto Rican baseball star and 2015 National League Cy Young Award winner have agreed to a one-year, $15.64 million deal with the Chicago Cubs, avoiding arbitration, according to ESPN.

Jake Arrieta

FanRag Sports first reported the agreement.

“It’s nice to get that done so we don’t have to exchange numbers,” Cubs president Theo Epstein said. “I’m glad we were able to come to terms. We’ll see if other conversations take place, great.”

The right-hander is eligible for free agency in 2018.

“There is certainly a chance he could be here beyond next year, but we don’t have any ongoing talks or anything specific scheduled,” Epstein said. “I’m sure it will come up at some point.”

Arrieta made $10.7 million through arbitration in 2016. He went 18-8 with a 3.10 ERA during the 2016 regular season and then helped the Cubs win their long-awaited World Series championship.