By Jordan Long
Major League Baseball free agency is still in full swing. There is one player who hasn’t been picked up yet, pitcher Johnny Cueto. There are a few teams interested in him, the San Diego Padres, Miami Marlins, and the Cincinnati Reds.
Cueto pitched for the Chicago White Sox last year. The White Sox had high expectations of not only making the postseason but advancing. Unfortunately, they fell short of that goal. They finished at 81-81, missing the playoffs altogether.
Cueto had a very tough season in a White Sox uniform. He was 8-10. His ERA wasn’t bad as that stood at 3.35. Cueto was able to strike out 102 batters. Cueto didn’t give up many walks with 33.
Cueto’s problem was he took risks with his pitching location. Batters could key on it and smack home runs, giving up 15. Once the season ended, the White Sox decided the Cueto experiment didn’t work and let him test free agency.
Cueto is one of the best pitchers left in free agency. He has pitched 15 years with a record in the regular season of 143-107. His career ERA is 3.44 with a total of 1,812 strikeouts. Those numbers could help a team improve this season.
Pitchers want to start in important games. Cueto brings that experience, pitching in 8 postseason games in his career. His record in those games is 2-4 which is not impressive. His ERA is 4.54.
The Padres could make the most sense as a landing spot for Cueto. They made it to the National League Championship Series but lost to the Philadelphia Phillies. The Padres could use him to upgrade the pitching rotation for another deep run.
Even if it is not the Padres, Cueto will be on a team this year. He is not the ace that he used to be but can still be a 4th or 5th pitcher in the rotation. With Spring Training a little more than a month away, the clock is ticking for Cueto to be on a team by then.
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