Kansas City Royals: Johnny Cueto Market Still Wide Open

Former Kansas City Royals starting pitcher will come with high price tag, already turned down multi-year deal.

In October, KC Royals starter Johnny Cueto won three out of four starts, held opposing hitters to a .189 batting average, and threw a two-hit complete game in Game 2 of the World Series.

It was a short-lived, high-priced rental, and it was designed to be.

Now, for Cueto, it’s time to let the offers roll in, and there’s enough interest around the league that he should cash-in on a multi-year, $100+ million deal.

Which teams are interested in signing free agent pitcher Johnny Cueto? Well, he’s already turned down a 6-year, $120 million offer from the Arizona Diamondbacks, according to MLB.com. Now I’m no agent, but you better be sure there’s a good market if you’re turning down that type of money, and it seems that there is.

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The Detroit Tigers just signed pitcher Jordan Zimmermann to a five-year, $110 million contract, according to ESPN.com. Not good news for the Royals, but it’s good news for Cueto, who should top that number when he does sign:

"Buster Olney wrote in his blog today that six teams — the Diamondbacks, Dodgers, Giants, Red Sox, Cardinals and Cubs — are “prepared to spend significant money on a starter.”"

There appears to be some National League-heavy interest in Cueto, who pitched most of eight seasons for the Cincinnati Reds before last season’s trade deadline. He was 92-63 with a 3.21 ERA in 213 starts in the N.L.

There’s 1,420 full Major League innings on Cueto’s arm, a good amount for a soon-to-be 30-year-old pitcher, but it’s not enough to scare teams away. He’s ultimately a finesse pitcher, an easy thrower, and a guy with natural, effortless movement on the ball. And he’s right in his prime.

Still, there are certain concerns when it comes to investing $100 million (ESPN):

"Cueto’s free agency comes with a couple of red flags: his struggles with the Royals after coming over from the Reds (he posted a 4.76 ERA in 13 starts); and a tender elbow that twice caused the Reds to give him extra rest between starts before trading him (he went from May 19 to June 2 without pitching, which was the longest layoff)."

As long as the elbow is not a legitimate concern, Cueto seems to be in good shape to hit the free agent jackpot.

Cueto won 20 games last season for the Reds. He finished second in Cy Young voting and led all N.L. pitchers in bWAR except for Clayton Kershaw. (Baseball-Reference)

Next: Alex Gordon drawing League-Wide Interest

Cueto gave the Royals exactly what they bargained for in the late stages of the 2015 season, but he’s on to a much bigger payday than the Royals care to pay. Where do you think Johnny Cueto ultimately will sign this offseason?

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