Philadelphia Phillies: Short-term deal for Arrieta makes most sense

Talk has been heating up over the possibility of Jake Arrieta joining the Philadelphia Phillies for the 2018 season.

Between the hiring of Gabe Kapler as the new manager to Rhys Hoskins entering his first full season after hitting 18 home runs in 50 games last year, there’s plenty of excitement surrounding the Philadelphia Phillies for a change during spring training. Even better, the team may not even be finished with adding players when looking at the recent rumors surrounding the Phillies and pitcher Jake Arrieta.

At the moment, Arrieta is arguably the top player available when it comes to free agents still in search of signing with a team for the 2018 season, most likely due to the fact that he’s looking for more money long-term than most teams want to pay him. For a player turning 32 in March, it’s easy to understand why teams are hesitant to sign Arrieta to a long-term deal since there were talks over how he was hoping for a deal worth more than $200 million, which is insane to think about.

As for where Philadelphia comes into play, the team obviously isn’t going to chalk up a ridiculous amount of money like that for a long-term deal to sign Arrieta since they’re not even part of the discussion as a top contender in the National League at the moment. But when it comes to a potential short-term deal involving Arrieta, this could end up working out perfect for both parties.

There may finally be excitement surrounding the Phillies heading into April, but keep in mind this is a team that has finished below .500 in each of the last five seasons, and still seems to be another year or two away before they can even be placed in the conversation of being playoff contenders. With a rotation on the rise that already consists of pitchers like Aaron Nola and Vince Velasquez, the addition of someone like Arrieta would make the unit even stronger for the 2018 season.

Next: 2017 NFL Draft: Re-selecting the first round

Money wise, the $200 million deal is obviously way too ridiculous for Philadelphia, but the good news is they have enough to spend where they most likely make Arrieta happy on a short-term deal with a ton of money. For an individual who played a key role in helping the Chicago Cubs be one of the top teams to beat over the last few years along with helping them put an end to their World Series curse in 2016, Arrieta would certainly be a great addition to the Phillies rotation at the right price, and it would be amazing if the two sides could get a deal done in the coming weeks.