Jake Arrieta fully expects to cash in as a free agent.
The Chicago Cubs hurler's contract year did not get off to the start he hoped for when he posted a 4.67 ERA in 16 starts through the end of June. Opposing hitters recorded a .767 OPS against Arrieta in his first 88 2/3 innings of the season, and the 31-year-old's hope of landing a loaded contract in free agency seemed to dwindle by the day.
Since then, however, Arrieta has completely turned his season around. In his next six starts, the right-hander posted a 2.08 ERA and limited batters to just a .526 OPS, bringing his season ERA down to a much more respectable 3.88 mark.
Despite his "Jekyll and Hyde" 2017, though, the Cubs starter is confident teams will look past his horrid first half of the season, letting him land the big-money contract he's expecting in the winter.
"I haven't had the year I would like, but it's not over yet," Arrieta told Bob Nightengale of USA TODAY Sports. "How many people can do what I do, anyways? A handful of guys? But one season shouldn't diminish what the whole package is, and what a guy can do.
"You can struggle for a little while. It's going to happen. If a guy hits .200 for a while, it doesn't mean he's a .200 hitter. Everyone wants to have a career year, but if I stick to what I'm doing, I like my chances. I'll be fine."
Related: Arrieta on future with Cubs: 'I don't want to leave without another ring'
The former Cy Young winner has had a few allies jump to his defense after his slow start, including Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein, as well as his agent Scott Boras, who still referred to him as an "elite pitcher" despite a drop in velocity.
But Arrieta, who didn't burst onto the scene until joining the Cubs in 2013 in a trade with the Baltimore Orioles, is ready to let his pitching do the bulk of his negotiating leading up to the offseason.
"With what I've gone through in my career, and having all of that failure in Baltimore, there's no more pressure," Arrieta told Nightengale. "I feel like I've already proven everything I needed to prove. I don't have to prove anybody wrong. I've already done that. The Cubs know what I can do. Everyone does.
"It's going to be interesting to see where I end up, man, but if we can walk out of here with two rings, everybody is going to be happy."
