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Jake Arrieta Retires After 12 MLB Seasons; Won World Series, NL Cy Young with Cubs
April 18, 2022
The 2015 National League Cy Young winner is calling it quits.
During an appearance on Bartstool Sports' Pardon My Take podcast (h/t MLB Trade Rumors), Jake Arrieta announced he is retiring from Major League Baseball after 12 seasons with the Baltimore Orioles, Chicago Cubs, Philadelphia Phillies and San Diego Padres.
"I haven't signed the papers, man, but I'm done," Arrieta said. "It's time for me to step away from the game. At some point, the uniform goes to somebody else. It's just my time, really. … Yeah, man, I'm done."
Arrieta made his Major League debut for the Orioles during the 2010 campaign, but he struggled with his time on the American League East team and didn't find his footing until Baltimore traded him to the Cubs in 2013.
It was one of several moves by Chicago's front office that set the stage for the franchise to break a 108-year championship drought during the 2016 season.
Arrieta posted a 2.53 ERA in 2014, foreshadowing what was to come during his incredible 2015 effort. He finished that Cy Young season with a 22-6 record, 1.77 ERA, 0.87 WHIP and 236 strikeouts in 229 innings while leading MLB in wins, starts (33), complete games (four) and shutouts (three).
As MLB Trade Rumors noted, he was essentially unhittable after the All-Star break and posted an 0.75 ERA in 107.1 innings. He also threw a complete-game shutout against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the NL Wild Card Game that year.
While he was unable to replicate his form down the stretch of the previous season, Arrieta was an All-Star in 2016 with a 3.10 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 190 strikeouts in 197.1 innings. The Cubs also won both of his starts during their World Series victory over Cleveland.
It was because of that dominant stretch that Arrieta will always be remembered best for what he accomplished with the North Siders.
The right-hander finished with a middling 4.36 ERA during his three seasons with the Phillies and a 10.95 ERA in four starts for the Padres last season. It became apparent during that 2021 campaign, which he started in Chicago after rejoining the Cubs on a one-year deal, that he was past his prime.
Nonetheless, the 36-year-old Arrieta finished his career with a 115-93 record, 3.98 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 1,433 strikeouts and will remain a central figure in Cubs history.