The San Francisco Giants have reportedly agreed to a contract with free agent Johnny Cueto for six years and $130 million. FOX Sports reporter Jon Paul Morosi first reported the news about the deal, which has an opt out after the second season for the pitcher.
Cueto was considered to be the top pitcher on the market after Zack Greinke and David Price signed and now he will be pitching in San Francisco after helping the Kansas City Royals win the World Series. According to Fox Sports, the deal is worth "more than $130 million" and will become official once Cueto takes a physical. The team has already signed Jeff Samardzija as a free agent and Cueto now joins Madison Bumgarner, Matt Cain, Samardzija and Jake Peavy in the pitching rotation.
Cueto has spent the bulk of his career with the Cincinnati Reds and he was traded to the Royals last season at the trade deadline. Cueto has gone 96-70 with a 3.30 ERA in his career and has made one All-Star appearance during that time. Cueto was inconsistent this season, but overall since 2010 he has put up one of the best ERAs in baseball, according to ESPN, ranking third with a 2.87 ERA.
Cueto previously turned down a six-year deal from the Arizona Diamondbacks that was reportedly for $120 million and teams like the Dodgers and Cardinals also were reportedly interested in Cueto. The Diamondbacks later signed Zack Greinke, while the Dodgers added Hisashi Iwakuma. The Giants have been linked to some of the outfielders on the free agent market in Justin Upton, Alex Gordon and Yoenis Cespedes, but after signing Cueto the team could consider less expensive options like Denard Span and Dexter Fowler.