Chicago White Sox: Jake Arrieta should be considered
The Chicago White Sox could use another arm in their starting rotation. Lucas Giolito, Dallas Keuchel, and Lance Lynn make up a great three-headed monster at the top. They are hoping that Michael Kopech and Dylan Cease figure out ways to take it to the next level. Both guys have tremendous stuff that could make them stars in the MLB. While they wait for that to happen, one more starter wouldn’t hurt to have in case one of them doesn’t find their stuff or there is an injury.
The Chicago White Sox should consider Jake Arrieta as another starter to add.
People around Chicago know all about Jake Arrieta‘s career. He was a throw-in for a trade made between the Chicago Cubs and Baltimore Orioles back in 2013. He went to the Cubs with Pedro Strop for Scott Feldman and Steve Clevenger Strop was pretty good for the Cubs but Arrieta was one of the most important players in the history of their franchise.
He went from being an average MLB pitcher to one of the best players in the National League. He won a Cy Young, Silver Slugger, and World Series ring in addition to being a National League All-Star in 2016. He went to the Cubs and formed an elite double ace duo with Jon Lester.
Well, after the 2017 season ended, the Cubs decided they wanted to bring in Yu Darvish instead of Arrieta. As a result, he signed as a free agent with the Philadelphia Phillies. He wasn’t as good with them as he was with the Cubs but there were some formidable moments for him there. He had a record of 22-23 with a 4.36 ERA, 1.387 WHIP, and 280 strikeouts.
Those aren’t great numbers but he didn’t get much help from the Phillies either who have been the most inconsistent franchises in the MLB since the signing. If he came to a team like the White Sox, he might not be his Cy Young Award-winning self again but he can be a good fourth or fifth starter.
Free-agent pitcher Jake Arrieta is throwing a bullpen for interested teams on Friday afternoon in Austin, Texas area. There are expected to be many scouts and front office executives in attendance.
— Robert Murray (@ByRobertMurray) January 28, 2021
With Arrieta doing this bullpen session for people to see, the White Sox should absolutely be involved. They should have scouts and front office people down there in Austin, Texas taking notes on what they see from a former Cy Young Award winner. He might have not been the best with Philadelphia but coming back to Chicago on the South Side could cause a resurgence. They are also an attractive team to play for right now because of how good they project to be.
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He is 34 years old so it isn’t like he would be in the long-term plans but he can really help this team grow as contenders right now. He brought a certain attitude to the Cubs when he got there and he would provide some of that for this young White Sox team. He has had multiple deep postseason runs and lots of regular-season success. That is the type of experience that could really benefit this White Sox team right now. If they are serious about bringing in one more starter, this could be the guy.