Arrieta announced Monday on Barstool Sports' "Pardon My Take" podcast that he's decided to retire after a 12-year career in the big leagues, ESPN.com reports. "Well, I haven't signed the papers, man, but I'm done. It's time for me to step away from the game," Arrieta said. "At some point the uniform goes to somebody else and it's just my time, really."
Arrieta's retirement comes as little surprise following a rough 2021 campaign with the Cubs and Padres in which he posted a 7.39 ERA and 1.77 WHIP across 24 starts. Though his performance had been steadily trending down since his first stint with the Cubs ended after the 2017 season, Arrieta was arguably MLB's top starting pitcher from 2014 through 2016. He threw two no-hitters during that stretch, took home the 2015 National League Cy Young Award after submitting a 1.77 ERA across 229 innings that season and earned his lone All-Star appearance in 2016 before he helped the Cubs end an 108-year championship drought that fall. Arrieta retires with a lifetime 115-93 record and 3.98 ERA over 285 appearances between the Orioles, Cubs, Phillies and Padres.