MLB free agency is alive and well, as Jordan Zimmerman became the first big name to come off the open market earlier this week when he latched on with the Detroit Tigers via a massive 5-year, $110 million deal. More dominos will fall and one big name in the pitching field that everyone is wondering about is ex-Royals pitcher, Johnny Cueto.
We touched on all of his potential suitors before he got dealt out of Cincinnati last year and once again he’s one of the top star players that is likely to be on the move. Kansas City finished the job last year by winning the World Series, so it’s rather unlikely they pay up to keep Cueto, who was rather inconsistent with them. That doesn’t mean Cueto will want for suitors, however. Let’s take a look at his most likely destinations heading into the 2016 MLB season:
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Arizona Diamondbacks reportedly just offered Cueto a massive deal and he turned it down. Perhaps he correctly assumes he can hold out and get an equal/better deal for a team that actually could sniff the playoffs. The Dodgers are certainly one of those teams, as they’re in the market for some pitching with Zack Greinke opting out of his deal. Greinke could still return to L.A. but perhaps the Dodgers can bolster their pitching rotation with Cueto and save some cash in the process.
San Francisco Giants
The Giants are first trying to pry Greinke away from the division rival Dodgers, but whether or not they accomplish that, they appear to be very much in the mix to steal Cueto out from under the Dodgers, too. San Francisco still has a nice pitching staff headed by Madison Bumgarner, but they’ve seen a slide beyond him. Cueto isn’t the ace he was just a few years ago, but he’s still technically in his prime and when he’s on, few can be better. He’d be a great addition to a Giants defense that struggled at times in 2015.
Boston Red Sox
Boston is one of the rare up and coming teams that seems to be totally set offensively and just needs to pay up to fill in some defensive pieces. They don’t have much in the way of pitching, so adding Cueto could help quickly put them back on the map. That would make Cueto the face of their defense as easily their top pitching ace. That could be a nice pull for Cueto, who probably wouldn’t mind the trio of cash, fame and the chance to win with a rising club.
Chicago Cubs
If you want a rising club that Cueto could latch on, then perhaps the Cubs could be the leaders for his services. Chicago has some stout pitching already but could use another arm or two to push their inconsistent defense over the top. Cueto wouldn’t be close to the face of the franchise, but he’d certainly play a big hand in shoring up the depth in the pitching rotation. Already legit title contenders going into 2016, adding Cueto could possibly put the Cubs over the top.
Ultimately, I think Cueto is headed to L.A. He wants more cash and he also wants to keep winning – getting a World Series ring will do that to you – while I bet Greinke is gone. That puts Cueto and David Price front and center for the Dodgers, who can ill afford to go from one of the best top-heavy pitching staffs to one that has Clayton Kershaw and little else. With Price also commanding high dollar on the open market, I think Cueto winds up in Los Angeles.
Think Cueto is heading elsewhere? Let us hear your take in the comments below!
