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MLB notebook: Arrieta off market, agrees with Phillies

[March 12, 2018] The Philadelphia Phillies and free agent right-hander Jake Arrieta reached agreement on a three-year, $75 million contract, according to multiple reports Sunday. The deal was first reported by NBC Sports Philadelphia, and terms were first reported by USA Today Sports.

Arrieta will earn $30 million in 2018, $25 million in 2019 and $20 million in 2020, according to a report from FanRag Sports. He can opt out of the deal after two years. However, the Phillies can void the opt-out in the form of a two-year extension for the 2020 and 2021 seasons, which would pay Arrieta a base salary of $20 million each year that could climb as high as $30 million with performance incentives.

The extension would go up to $25 million each season based on games started in the first two years of the deal or up to $30 million based on Cy Young finishes, per FanRag Sports, bringing the potential overall value of his contract as high as $135 million.

Arrieta was one of the last big names still available after a controversially slow offseason regarding the signing of marquee free agents. Last week saw fellow Scott Boras clients Mike Moustakas and Carlos Gonzalez each agree to deals for less money than expected with their former teams, the Kansas City Royals and Colorado Rockies, respectively, as well as another top starter, Lance Lynn, agreeing to terms with the Minnesota Twins.

--The Twins granted right-hander Anibal Sanchez his unconditional release less than a month after signing him to a non-guaranteed contract.

Sanchez, 34, had a 13.50 ERA over four innings in two spring outings for the Twins. He was 3-7 with a 6.41 ERA in 28 appearances (17 starts) for the Detroit Tigers last season.

"We wanted to give him every opportunity to sign with another big league team and compete for their rotation," Twins general manager Thad Levine said. "I don't think we're over-evaluating or under-evaluating performances at this juncture. It had everything to do with what we represented. The opportunity was not there for him anymore."

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--Cincinnati Reds pitcher Anthony DeSclafani has an oblique injury that will sideline him for an indefinite period, manager Bryan Price said.

An oblique injury kept the right-hander from making his 2016 debut until mid-June, and he went 9-5 with a 3.28 ERA in 20 starts upon his return. DeSclafani missed all of 2017 with an elbow injury.

The 27-year-old was injured in his last start Friday against the Texas Rangers, according to Price. DeSclafani pitched three innings, striking out one batter and walking one in his third appearance of the spring.

--The Toronto Blue Jays released Ezequiel Carrera to begin thinning out candidates for the outfield in the upcoming season, according to multiple reports.

Carrera, 30, played a career-high 131 games and produced a .282 batting average and a .356 on-base percentage in 2017, but Toronto's offseason acquisitions of Curtis Granderson and Randal Grichuk made him expendable.

Carrera was removed from the Jays' 40-man roster earlier this month and sent down to Triple-A Buffalo. He was scheduled to make $1.9 million this season.

--Field Level Media

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