The San Diego Padres are showing interest in veteran starter Johnny Cueto (37).
Reporter Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported on the 5th 토토사이트 (Korean time) that not only San Diego, but also the Miami Marlins and Cincinnati Reds are competing for free agent right-hander Cueto.
San Diego is stable in the 1st and 3rd starters, leading to Darvish Yu, Blake Snell, and Joe Musgrove, but the 4th and 5th starters are weak.
Nick Martinez re-signed for 3 years and $26 million, and Seth Lugo was signed for 2 years and 15 million dollars in the free agent market, but both pitchers failed to produce significant results as full-time starters. The same goes for left-handed prospect Adrihan Morehone.
Accordingly, San Diego is exploring the market for a starting pitcher for the remainder of the offseason. With San Diego looking to win and an immediate power resource, Cueto is a pretty compelling option.
Cueto, a native of the Dominican Republic, made his debut in Cincinnati in 2008 and then went back and forth with the Kansas City Royals, San Francisco Giants and Chicago White Sox, recording 143 wins, 107 losses, 3.44 strikeouts, and 1812 strikeouts in 355 games (2192⅔ innings) in 15 seasons. He was selected as an All-Star twice in 2014 and 2016, and also won the World Series with Kansas City in 2015. He gained popularity for his intense reggae haircut and his unique pitching form, which he threw with a twist or two or three shoulder shakes.
Cueto, who raised his share price with his ability to digest steady innings and his performance in big games, signed a six-year, $130 million free agent contract with San Francisco in December 2015 and grabbed a lot of money. However, he only exceeded the regulation innings in the first year of his contract, and a day later, he became a free agent in the aftermath of an elbow injury. Eventually, after the 2021 season, San Francisco waived its 2022 team option and let Cueto go.
Cueto, who became a free agent, transferred to the White Sox on a minor league contract ahead of the opening in April of last year. He was acquired by the White Sox as an insurance starter, but made a surprise rebound at the late age of 36. He announced his good health with 8 wins, 10 losses, an average ERA of 3.35 and 102 strikeouts in 25 games (158⅓ innings). Unlike this time last year, the market’s interest in him is also high. I wonder where Cueto, who is receiving love calls from three teams, will go in the new season.