Photo : Jonathan Daniel ( Getty Images

Jake Arrieta, National League Cy Young Award winner, World Series hero, thrower of two career no-hitters, recently the ace of the Chicago Cubs rotation, is reportedly set to join the Philadelphia Phillies, a team that won 66 games in 2017:


FanGraphs, prior to this development, had the Phillies projected as a 74-win team in 2018. They had one of the more anemic offenses in baseball last season, producing just 4.26 runs per game, good for fourth fewest in the majors. But Rhys Hoskins is a big strong man, and Odubel Herrera is still hanging around, and who knows, maybe Nick Williams will make a leap. Arrieta might seem out of place on a non-contender, but he for sure gives the Phillies a workhorse starter among their otherwise questionable rotation. If the Phillies believe they can challenge for the NL East in the next three years, first of all they’re wrong (Go Nats)—more importantly, Arrieta certainly solves part of that equation.