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Cincinnati Reds ace Johnny Cueto suffered his fifth loss of the season as the Reds lost 2-1 to the New York Mets Friday. Cueto’s loss dropped his record to 4-5 and rose his ERA to 2.98 on the season. To some, his stats this season come off as mediocre, and that may hurt the trade value of him, but luckily for the Reds, teams will most likely consider his career production over his 2015 stats. If they don’t, they definitely should.
At 29, Cueto is the ace of the Reds’ staff and is the one who could bring in the best (possibly biggest) package of players or prospects. Over his close to 7.5 years in the majors, he has accumulated the following stat line:
208 GS / 89-62 / 3.25 ERA / 1,087 Ks / 383 BBs
His career numbers suggest he could demand one or two top 10 prospects from a team. Yes, Cueto is getting older, however, he is entering what should be the prime of any major leaguer’s career. The issue is that suitors should understand what kind of pitcher they would be receiving.
Suitors should know that they may not get the 2014 version of Cueto, who went 20-9 with a 2.25 ERA, but they also will not get the Cueto who went 9-14 his rookie season. Cueto has proven to be a reliable pitcher who, over his career, has been consistently dominant.
When trade offers come in for the Reds’ ace, suitors should look at his career stats more than his stats for this season alone because, over his career, he has proven to be better than what he has shown this season. So let the bidding begin. The Reds are listening — your move suitors.
Chad Troyan is a baseball and football writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @ChadTroyan15, “Like”him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google
