Jake Arrieta posted a farewell letter to Chicago on his Twitter account when he signed with the Phillies back in March. Now, with the Cubs starting a three-game series in Philadelphia, Arrieta posted a second note:
Chicago,
This is a little awkward, so let’s get right to it: I’m not coming back. I never was.
I apologize for any misunderstanding, but I thought my actions had made it pretty clear.
Look, I’m on social media. I see the “Should’ve signed Jake!” posts. Your passion means a lot to me, it always has, but at some point you have to realize that you had zero chance of retaining me. I mean they offered me three contracts! None of which I signed. None of which lured me from the thrilling gamble of free agency. Things change. People change. It’s over.
I appreciate what you’re going through, with the injuries and all, but the fact is you did not sign Yu Darvish *instead of* me if you had zero chance of signing me. Are we clear?
We had some good times together. Let’s remember those. Remember beating St. Louis in 2015?! That was sweet. I still hate St. Louis. We’ll always have that in common (what was Dex thinking?? Yikes).
We’ve accomplished a lot: a Cy Young, two no-hitters and a World Series. All I ask now is for my freedom.
My hope is that everyone can move on. You deserve closure.
I wish you all the best (until we meet in the playoffs).
Happy Trails,
-49
