Pitcher Jake Arrieta will be eligible to become a free agent at the end of the 2017 season, and he sounds somewhat resigned to the fact that a long-term deal won’t get done before then.
Arrieta said Friday that he hasn’t discussed a contract extension with the club, and said time is running out for the two sides to do so.
“The timeline is kind of coming to an end as far as as leading up to free agency,” Arrieta said at the Cubs Convention, via Bruce Levine of CBS Chicago. “I am here for one more year and I am going to enjoy every moment of it.”
Levine noted that there was a bit of sadness in Arrieta’s voice when discussing his future.
“The team is going to do what is best for them,” Arrieta said.
Arrieta is 50-19 with a 2.42 ERA in his last three seasons with the Cubs. He also turns 31 in March. He’s earned the right to a big payday, and has said he won’t give the Cubs a discount. That’s going to make it rather difficult for the two sides to stay together beyond 2017.
