Phillies Continue To Pursue Jake Arrieta, Report Says

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The Phillies are reportedly considering acquiring free-agent pitcher Jake Arrieta.

Phillies and Jake Arrieta are having dialogue. Phils people (MacPhail, Klentak, Jordan, etc.) love him from their days in Baltimore together. Phils would prefer shorter term tho, so there's a gap.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) February 20, 2018

Heyman first reported the news in December.

Phillies are considering Jake Arrieta. Not perfect match since they are a year from possible contention but many of their execs know him well from when they were with the Orioles.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) December 12, 2017

The 31-year-old pitcher spent the past five seasons with the Chicago Cubs leading them to World Series in 2016. In 2015, Arrieta led the National League in wins (22) and won the Cy Young Award finishing with a 1.77 ERA in 33 starts.

Last season, Arrieta regressed a bit, going 14-10 in 30 starts with 3.53 ERA and 163 strikeouts over 168.1 innings.

Arrieta is considered to be the top starting pitcher available on the free agent market. He won't come cheap, however. ESPN.com reported there are "indications that Arrieta is seeking $200 million."

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