The Cubs were known to have made “one last call” to Jake Arrieta’s agent Scott Boras before signing Yu Darvish, and FanRag Sports’ Jon Heyman provided some new details on that exchange. Theo Epstein proposed a “theoretical” offer of six years and $120MM to Arrieta if, and only if, things did not work out with Darvish. Epstein reportedly didn’t seriously think Arrieta’s camp would take the offer, and the executive was “just making the call to show respect” to a player who was such a major factor in Chicago’s recent success. Even if Darvish had turned the Cubs down, it still doesn’t seem as if Arrieta and the team would’ve been able to come to an agreement, as Arrieta simply wanted a larger average annual value than Chicago was willing to offer (due to their desire to stay under the luxury tax threshold). The Cubbies also are said to have put $48MM over four years on the table for Alex Cobb earlier in the winter before putting pen to paper with Darvish, and Heyman speculates that the Cubs might have eventually become interested in Alex Cobb had they missed out on both Darvish and Arrieta.
Here are a few items from Heyman, in his latest notes column…
- The Nationals could potentially be contenders to sign Jonathan Lucroy next offseason. Matt Wieters is in his last year under contract, and Washington had some interest in Lucroy this winter despite Wieters still being on the hook for $10.5MM this season. Of course, quite a bit could happen to affect this interest between now and next winter, particularly since Lucroy is looking to rebound with the Athletics after a very inconsistent 2017 season. If Lucroy does bounce back and the A’s are out of contention this year, I would think it possible that the Nats could even target Lucroy at the trade deadline.
- In some Tigers agency news, righty Franklin Perez is joining Beverly Hills Sports Council while infielder Dixon Machado is now with Octagon. You can track the latest representation information with MLBTR’s agency database.
- Speaking of agents, Yasiel Puig has been in talks with “several agencies” about representation since the Wasserman agency cut ties with the Dodgers outfielder in February. Puig has also been considering having one of his current financial advisors represent him, though the MLBPA has “strongly advised” Puig to work with an established agency.
- “It was very much a split decision” within the Royals front office to re-sign Alex Gordon to a four-year, $72MM deal in the 2015-16 offseason. Gordon’s return to Kansas City was seen as something of a surprise at the time, though he had a strong personal desire to return to the team and the Royals were willing to spend extra to retain a key member of their World Series-winning team. Gordon was entering his age-32 season at the time, however, and some in the organization felt “he had had worn down by that point” and wasn’t a good investment. These concerns seem to have been well-founded, as Gordon has hit just .213/.300/.343 over 1071 PA through two-plus years of that contract.
- Reliever Francisco Rodriguez is determined to continue pitching at age 36, even if it means going to an indy ball club. He was released by the Phillies last month after spending most of the spring with the organization on a minor league deal, and K-Rod posted a 5.40 ERA over 6 2/3 Grapefruit League innings.
- Shortstop Luisangel Acuna, the younger brother of star Braves prospect Ronald Acuna, will be a sought-after name in the next July 2 international signing period, Heyman writes in a separate piece. The Rangers are one of multiple teams interested in the younger Acuna, who could receive a bonus as high as $500K. This estimated price tag will keep the Braves out of the running, as they are limited to spending no more than $300K on any single international prospect for the next July 2 period. MLB.com’s Jesse Sanchez writes that some scouts feel Acuna will eventually have to move to second base, and he “has shown some power and has the potential to be an average-or-better hitter with proper instruction, but he’ll have to grow” beyond his current 5’9″, 160-pound frame.
Pack it in Frankie….done like dinner
Why would arieta take 60 for 3 and not 120 for 6
he’s getting paid 75m.
He probably thought he could cash in again after a short contract. 75/3 then 60/3 would be better than 120/6 (theoretically)
Highly doubtful. Teams were already skeptical about his decline. Unless his velocity and other peripherals just suddenly improved over the course of the 3 year contract, he wasn’t getting $25M per again when he’s 3 years older.
He probably thought he could get more than 20 AAV on a 3 year deal and he felt confident to cash in on free agency after 3 years. Something along the lines of 90/4 then 60/3 or 75/3 then 60/3 would be an ideal plan
Arrieta didn’t take $60/3, he took $75/3.
It’s fascinating that Heyman is continuing to beat the Arrieta story–sounds like there’s some bruised egos here as it relates to the total contract guarantee he got. Darvish or Arrieta-I’m not sure who is going to have a better next few years, but I think Darvish got himself a solid deal and, given the state of the market, may find himself more satisfied.
Trick question. Yu n JA are and were always going to be sucker signings.
Did we ever find out what it was that Puig did to have Wasserman cut him loose?
Nope…..
Who can believe anything that comes out of Heyman’s mouth? This might as well be a press release from the Boras Corporation!!!
Another big big mistake by the cubs. Looks like the good one got away and now stuck with Darvish for years to come. They are certainly on a very fast decline as the standings are beginning to reveal.
Haha. We know a Cubs decline is what keeps you up at night but the reality is Cubs LOVE thus rhetoric. We’ve waited over 100 years to see this sort of bitterness. Please keep it up. It’s delicious.
Yes the cub play is delicious so far. It appears things are getting back to normal thus cub fans back to there holes they came out of a couple of years ago get things back to normal.
Themed, do you not get sick of trolling?
Love it! Go Cubbies!!!
“They are certainly on a very fast decline as the standings are beginning to reveal.”
That’s ridiculous, they’re 6-7 with 149 games left to play. That’s like predicting an NFL team is doomed to fail because the first game of the year ended in a tie.
Jake Arrieta sucked in his ST starts and he sucked in his first start of the year. So if we’re going to play the “Let’s panic after a tiny sample size” game, then no, the good one didn’t get away.
Hey today’s game is an excellent small sample size of things to come for the cubbies.
Ooof you can’t even troll. The cubs win, is that what’s going to come?
Themed, go away. Before I make you.
Cubs win by scoring 7 runs with only three hits in the inning against the Braves. All this to pull to .500 after playing only one team that’s projected to be above .500. Really something to be excited about.
It’s a 14 game sample size…
What are you a moderator or something?
Neither Darvish or Arrieta are worth that money!!!!
Hey Cubbies, thanks for Jeimer Candalario and Isaac Paredes! Justin Wilson fizzled in the small ball park and Avila signed elsewhere. LOVE Candy and Issac Paredes is swing great in High A ball. You have helped our team rebuild and just wanted to thank you!