In the end, Jake Arrieta didn’t get the $200 million contract agent Scott Boras had initially sought for his client. He didn’t even get $100 million. He did, however, agree to a three-year, $75 million contract with the Philadelphia Phillies that will make him the seventh-highest paid starting pitcher in the majors in 2018 based on average annual value. I’d suggest that’s a nice deal for a pitcher who ranked 18th in the majors in ERA in 2017, 48th in innings pitched and 24th among qualified starters in strikeout rate. There’s an obvious reason Arrieta didn’t get the long-term deal he may have been anticipating at the beginning of the offseason. He hasn’t been the same pitcher as he was during his monster 2015 Cy Young campaign. read more http://www.espn.com/blog/sweetspot/...-million-message-that-theyre-ready-to-contend