Right-hander expected to start Wednesday in Colorado
SAN DIEGO – The San Diego Padres have signed right-handed pitcher Jake Arrieta to a minor league contract, President of Baseball Operations and General Manager A.J. Preller announced today. Arrieta is expected to be added to the Padres active 26-man roster on Wednesday (8/18) and start against the Rockies that day in Colorado.
The 2015 NL Cy Young Award winner went 5-11 with a 6.88 ERA (66 ER, 86.1 IP) and 74 strikeouts in 20 starts for the Chicago Cubs this year prior to being released by the club on August 12th. He posted a 2.57 ERA (8 ER, 28.0 IP) and 1.18 WHIP over his first five starts of the season before suffering a right thumb injury in early May. Arrieta has held opponents to three earned runs or fewer in 12 of his 20 starts this season, including one run over 5.0 innings against the Padres on June 9th at Wrigley Field.
A 2016 World Series Champion with the Cubs, Arrieta has a 115-90 career record with a 3.93 ERA (698 ER, 1600.0 IP), 1.25 WHIP, 23.8 fWAR and 1,424 strikeouts in 281 games (275 starts) between the Baltimore Orioles (2010-13), Cubs (2013-17, 2021) and Philadelphia Phillies (2018-20). He led the NL with 22 wins in 2015 with a 1.77 ERA (45 ER, 229.0 IP), the lowest by a Cubs pitcher in a single season since 1919 (Pete Alexander, 1.72 ERA). Arrieta has thrown two no-hitters in his career (4/21/16 at CIN, 8/30/15 at LAD) and currently ranks 16th among all active Major League players in both innings pitched and starts. He was named an All-Star in 2016 and took home the NL Silver Slugger Award that same season after batting .262 (17-for-65) with a .304 OBP, 2 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR and 7 RBI. Arrieta was originally selected by the Orioles in the 5th round of the 2007 MLB First-Year Player Draft out of Texas Christian University.
