Had they actually signed Jake Arrieta, (who received and turned down a qualifying offer from the Chicago Cubs before he became a free agent), the Washington Nationals, (who went over the competitive balance threshold in 2017, paid a 20% tax on the overages, and are already over the threshold for 2018 according to payroll estimates), would have been forced to surrender their second and fifth-highest picks in the 2018 MLB Draft, and would have lost $1M in international signing bonus pool money under the rules of the current Collective Bargaining Agreement.
Washington Nationals’ GM Mike Rizzo talked about the rumors of interest in Jake Arrieta (who signed with the Phillies on Sunday), the Nats’ starting depth and more in an interview with ESPN’s Buster Olney.
