By Jordan Long
The San Francisco Giants kept one of their pitchers, Johnny Cueto. He had an opt-out in his contract and declined to become a free agent to stick with the Giants. He had until Saturday night to decide. Cueto will be in a Giants’ uniform until 2021 and is going to make $21 million per season. According to ESPN, Manager Bruce Bochy said, “It’s great to see Johnny wants to continue his career as a Giant. Considered one of the best starters in the game, we are glad that he will be helping us bounce back in 2018.”
Cueto has been with the Giants since 2016. That season was his best year in the Bay Area. He went 18-5 with an era of 2.79, helping the Giants go all the way to the Division Series where they were knocked off by the eventual World Series Champions Chicago Cubs. This season they were expecting a bigger season for Cueto. His play didn’t live up to the hype with an 8-8 record with a 4.52 ERA.
Cueto was able to strike batters out with 136. He kept the Giants in games. What hurt him was home runs, giving up 22. Cueto was leaving the ball up in the zone. Those are mistakes to decent hitters.
The Giants are hoping next year they will see the pitcher who went 18-5 for them. He is going to be paid by them as an ace. Cueto could have hit the open market as a free agent. If he was a free agent, Cueto might have been paid more by another team, but decided it was best to stay with the Giants.
The way this deal works is if Cueto is back throwing the way he did in 2016. That could help the Giants go back to the playoffs and even make a deep run. Cueto must work on his pitching location heading into the 2018 season. He can be one of the most unhittable pitchers in the game. The Giants can’t see the 2017 version again. That will not help them win games and they may end up trading him before his contract is up.
What do you think of Johnny Cueto deciding to come back and play for the San Francisco Giants?
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