Phillies: 3 veterans who may have played their last game in Philadelphia

Jake Arrieta’s time with the Phillies is up

Like Robertson, Jake Arrieta‘s career with the Phillies has been marred by injuries. Another big ticket free agent addition late in the Phillies rebuild, a lot of people agreed that Arrieta was overpaid but they hoped he could be a leader for a young pitching staff. Only one of those two things was true.

In his first year Arrieta made 31 starts with a 3.96 ERA, not terrible but certainly not as good as the Phillies hoped when they gave him $75 million. His presence in the clubhouse has also been questioned after publically calling out the team coming off a sweep by San Francisco.

Last year it was clear Arrieta was pitching hurt and he made it known that he was dealing with a bone spur in his elbow. While he tried to pitch through it, the results were not there for a player making $20 million. His ERA ballooned to 4.64 in 24 games before he was shut down for the year.

Arrieta came into 2020 healthy and ready to contribute as a number four starter. For what it’s worth, he had a 4.82 ERA with six walks in three spring training starts. Some people put stock into that, others don’t knowing players are tinkering with things before the season.

Even if there are games played this year and Arrieta performed well the Phillies aren’t going to pick up a $20 million option for 2021, let alone expect him to pitch well enough for another $20 million in 2022.

You can put Arrieta on a list of some of the most disappointing free agents in recent Phillies history, but a lot of fans saw this coming signing an older pitcher to a big deal after he had only a couple good seasons elsewhere.