Strike Zone podcast: Jay Jaffe on Jake Arrieta, MLB expansion, more
On Thursday night against the Reds, Jake Arrieta stole the spotlight by no-hitting Cincinnati, continuing what's been arguably one of baseball's most dominant pitching stretches of all-time. But can Arrieta now claim to be the best pitcher in the game?
On this week's edition of The Strike Zone podcast, SI.com contributing baseball writer Jay Jaffe joins Ted Keith to talk about Arrieta's no-hitter and where the Cubs' ace now ranks among the league's best pitchers. Ted and Jay recap Arrieta's night and look back at how his career took such an incredible turn, as well as whether anyone can claim to be better, before discussing the Cubs' hot start and if Chicago has already established itself as this year's World Series favorite.
From there, Ted and Jay take a turn toward commissioner Rob Manfred's recent comments about expansion and debate which cities would make the most sense for a new franchise and how MLB could accommodate additional teams. Finally, the two touch on Manfred's thoughts on Bryce Harper, and whether the reigning NL MVP has equaled Mike Trout in terms of production after a hot start to his season.
Want more top-notch baseball talk delivered straight to you every week? Then subscribe to The Strike Zone podcast on iTunes, Stitcher and Soundcloud. Have any questions, comments or thoughts on the show? Reach out to Ted, Steve or producer Jon Tayler on Twitter.
Check back on SI.com next week for another episode of The Strike Zone.
