Jake Arrieta returned to the Chicago Cubs, finalizing a $6 million, one-year contract on Wednesday.
Arrieta can earn $1 million in performance bonuses under the deal.
To open a roster spot, the Cubs placed left-hander Kyle Ryan on the COVID-19 related injured list.
The 34-year-old Arrieta won the NL Cy Young Award with Chicago in 2015 and helped the Cubs win the 2016 World Series for their first championship since 1908. He went 68-31 with a 2.73 ERA in 128 starts over five years in his first stint with the team.
While the reunion is a feel-good story for the reigning NL Central champions after a tough winter, Arrieta hasn’t experienced the same level of success since he left Chicago after the 2017 season.
The 6-foot-4 right-hander signed a $75 million, three-year contract with Philadelphia in free agency and went 22-23 with a 4.36 ERA in 64 starts with the Phillies. He had a 4-4 record and a 5.08 ERA in nine starts last year during the pandemic-shortened season.
Arrieta rejoined a team with a new-look rotation after the Cubs traded Yu Darvish to San Diego in December and let Jon Lester depart for Washington in free agency. Arrieta also reunited with David Ross, who caught the second of Arrieta’s two no-hitters and guided Chicago into the playoffs last year in his first season as a big league manager.
The Cubs had been looking for pitching depth, concerned about how many starters they might need going from last year’s abbreviated season to a more regular schedule in 2021. Kyle Hendricks and Zach Davies lead the rotation, with Alec Mills, Trevor Williams, Adbert Alzolay and Arrieta also in the mix.
Arrieta was first acquired by Chicago in a July 2013 trade with Baltimore, a key move in the franchise’s rise from the bottom of the NL Central to one of the majors’ best teams.
Arrieta, a fifth-round pick by the Orioles in the 2007 amateur draft, was a dominant force in 2015, going 22-6 with a sparkling 1.77 ERA in 33 starts. He followed his Cy Young campaign with 18 wins and a 3.10 ERA in 31 starts in 2016.
Arrieta also performed well in the playoffs during his first stint with Chicago. He tossed a five-hitter in the Cubs’ 4-0 win at Pittsburgh in the 2015 NL wild-card game. He won each of his two World Series starts at Cleveland in 2016, compiling a 2.38 ERA in 11 1/3 innings.
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LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) — Anthony Joshua, the two-time former world heavyweight champion from Britain, was in a stable condition in the hospital Monday after being involved in a car crash in Nigeria that killed two people who were close friends and team members, his promoter said.
Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing said on X that Joshua “sustained injuries in the accident and was taken to hospital for checks and treatment" and he will “remain there for observation.” It named Sina Ghami and Latif Ayodele as the two passengers who had “tragically passed away.”
Photos on social media showed Joshua being extricated from a wrecked vehicle while he was wincing in pain.
“Following thorough clinical evaluations, medical professionals have confirmed that both patients (hospitalized after the accident) are stable and do not require any emergency medical intervention at this time,” a joint statement by Lagos and Ogun state governments said.
The Lagos state commissioner for information, Gbenga Omotoso, confirmed the accident in a post on X, adding that the government had sent ambulances to the crash site.
The crash occurred on a major thoroughfare — the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway which links Ogun state to Lagos, the country’s economic capital — at about 11 a.m. local time. Nigeria is the homeland of Joshua’s parents.
Ogun State Police earlier said in a statement: “The vehicle conveying Mr. Joshua, a Lexus SUV, was involved in the accident under circumstances that are currently being investigated. Joshua, seated in the rear of the vehicle, sustained minor injuries and is receiving medical attention with another injured person."
According to Olusegun Ogungbemide, spokesperson for the Federal Road Safety Corps, preliminary investigations indicated the vehicle was “traveling beyond the legally prescribed speed limit on the corridor, lost control during an overtaking maneuver and crashed into a stationary truck," which was by the side of the road.
The Ogun state government said that “preliminary reports indicate that two male foreign nationals died on the spot.”
Joshua beat YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul on Dec. 19 in a bout in Miami, which he was using to regain sharpness in the ring. He lost the world heavyweight title in 2021 to Oleksandr Usyk.
“Life is much more important than boxing. I am praying for the lost lives, AJ and anyone impacted by today’s unfortunate accident,” Paul said Monday.
Nigeria’s president, Bola Tinubu, called Joshua in hospital.
“I spoke with AJ on the phone to personally convey my condolences over the death of his two associates,” the president said on X. “I wished him a full and speedy recovery, and prayed with him. AJ assured me he is receiving the best possible care. I also spoke with his mother and prayed for her. She was deeply appreciative of the call.”
No further details on Joshua's condition were given.
“Anthony Joshua is in an undisclosed hospital being treated for his injuries,” Lanre Ogunlowo, the commissioner of police for Ogun state, told the AP. He said he has no further information on the injuries.
Hearn had earlier told Daily Mail Sport that he was “away on a family holiday and awoke to the news of this incident.
“We are trying to contact Anthony and in the meantime we don’t want to speculate on how he is but thankfully he appears OK from what I have seen in the images."
Joshua briefly went to boarding school in Nigeria at the age of 11. He returned there for the first time in 17 years in 2019, ahead of a fight against Andy Ruiz Jr.
Joshua has been in talks to fight fellow Briton Tyson Fury in 2026.
AP boxing: https://apnews.com/boxing
AP Sports Writer Steve Douglas in Sundsvall, Sweden, contributed to this report.
Anthony Joshua celebrates after his win in the heavyweight boxing match against Jake Paul, Friday, Dec. 19, 2025, in Miami, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
Anthony Joshua stands on stage during a face-off against Jake Paul at a news conference promoting their upcoming heavyweight boxing match, Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2025, in Miami Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
