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With David Price, Zack Greinke and others accounted for, Johnny Cueto stands out as the top free agent starting pitcher that remains available. The 29-year old right-hander reportedly turned down a six-year offer worth $120-$126 million from the Arizona Diamondbacks a couple weeks ago, which may have pushed them to up the ante and sign Greinke, and the San Francisco Giants are now making a “strong push” for Cueto.
Sources: #SFGiants making strong push for Cueto.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) December 14, 2015
Cueto had a 3.44 ERA over 212 innings (32 starts) with the Cincinnati Reds and Kansas City Royals last season, though he was mostly bad for Kansas City (4.76 ERA over 13 regular season starts) with mixed results during the Royals’ postseason run (5.40 ERA over four starts). Cueto also has some history of arm issues, including an elbow issue that never put him on the disabled list last season, and the market price he has now set for himself is not worth it for the Giants.
An earmark of San Francisco’s World Series-winning teams in 2010, 2012 and 2014 was clubhouse chemistry, at least based on what could be seen outwardly. Cueto comes off as a potential cancer that would mope if he’s not pitching well for more than an occasional start or two, which would surely draw the ire of manager Bruce Bochy. Simply put, it’s worth wondering how Cueto would fit in what would appear to be a harmonious clubhouse, be it with the Giants or elsewhere.
A lot of teams that seeks a top-tier starting pitcher have now turned their attention to Cueto, which makes some sense overall. But a long-term commitment to Cueto, especially if the price to participate is over $20 million per year, is not something anyone in the Giants’ organization should be pushing to make.
Brad Berreman is a Senior Writer at Rant Sports.com. Follow him on Twitter.
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