Jake Arrieta, the 2015 National League Cy Young Award winner, confirmed that he was retiring from Major League Baseball during an appearance on the Pardon My Take podcast on Monday. Arrieta said he had not yet filed the paperwork with the league, but that he was "done" after appearing in parts of 12 big-league seasons.
Arrieta, 36 years old, hangs up his cleats having appeared in 285 games (279 of them starts). In total, he accumulated a 3.98 ERA (104 ERA+) and a 2.51 strikeout-to-walk ratio. His contributions were worth an estimated 22.8 Wins Above Replacement, according to Baseball-Reference's calculations.
Arrieta made an All-Star team and won both the aforementioned Cy Young Award and a Silver Slugger Award. He threw two no-hitters, both coming with the Chicago Cubs. He was also a member of the 2016 World Series-winning Cubs rotation.
Originally a fifth-round pick with the Baltimore Orioles, Arrieta would not find his footing in the majors until he went to Chicago as part of a four-player trade in 2013. (That deal also included Pedro Strop, Scott Feldman, and Steve Clevenger.) Arrieta lived up to his fire-balling promise almost overnight, becoming a key contributor for the Cubs over the ensuing four seasons.
Arrieta eventually left Chicago in free agency, joining up with the Philadelphia Phillies on a three-year pact. He provided Philadelphia with two above-average seasons, albeit not to his previous lofty standards. Indeed, from 2018-19 he recorded a 100 ERA+ and a 2.30 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 55 starts.
Arrieta then had a forgettable pandemic-shortened 2020 before rejoining the Cubs with an eye on recapturing his old magic. That trick didn't work. He split last season between Chicago and the San Diego Padres, amassing a 7.39 ERA in 98 innings.