5 potential landing spots for Johnny Cueto
The Cincinnati Reds ace will likely be on the trading block this summer and should draw significant interest from a number of teams.
The Cincinnati Reds entered the 2015 season in a bit of a precarious position.
While the Reds weren’t bad enough on paper to be completely devoid of hope, they didn’t look good enough to compete in a tough NL Central division that includes the talented St. Louis Cardinals and Pittsburgh Pirates, plus an improving Chicago Cubs team. Many expected the Reds to play out the first couple of months of the season to see where they stand before making a long-term decision about the direction of the club.
Now sitting at 22-29, 12 games behind St. Louis, it’s clear Cincinnati doesn’t have much hope of making the postseason. The window for this group has passed, meaning it’s time to blow it up and rebuild.
To jumpstart that rebuild, the Reds have a number of valuable pieces, including closer Aroldis Chapman, if they really wanted to go all in for the future. However, the player who would draw the most interest by far is ace Johnny Cueto.
Cueto has been one of the best pitchers in the NL over the past few seasons, posting an ERA of 2.82 or lower for four consecutive seasons. His contract expires after this season and he is unlikely to re-sign with the Reds, making Cueto a prime trade chip.
Any team would improve with Cueto, but these five stand out as possible landing spots.
Boston Red Sox
After entering the season with huge expectations, the Red Sox currently sit at a disappointing 24-30. The main culprit has been a shaky pitching staff that has gotten poor performances out of Joe Kelly, Justin Masterson and Rick Porcello for most of the year.
Adding Cueto would give Boston the top-of-the-line pitcher it is sorely missing. With Cueto, promising rookie Eduardo Rodriguez and any sort of consistency from Clay Buchholz, the Red Sox might have enough pitching to back their offense, which should show some improvement over the rest of the season.
Boston has the young pieces to get a deal done for Cueto as well. The Red Sox rightfully wouldn’t trade Mookie Betts or Xander Bogaerts, as they are making contributions at the major-league level , but have plenty left in the farm system.
By the time the trade deadline rolls around, the Red Sox may have decided they just aren’t good enough to justify improving in the short-term. But the AL East is totally up for grabs and the lofty expectations may pressure Boston to make a move.
Toronto Blue Jays
Another team in the AL East may want to take advantage of the weak division and go all-in on Cueto. Much like Boston, pitching has been the problem for the 25-30 Blue Jays, who could really use an “ace” starter.
Unlike the Red Sox, Toronto’s offense has lived up to the billing, leading the majors in runs per game by a healthy margin. The Blue Jays have five regulars with a wRC+ of 130 or more as part of a lineup that should scare anybody.
Toronto didn’t do enough to address its pitching during the offseason and couldn’t possibly have prepared for the loss of Marcus Stroman and the total collapse of R.A. Dickey. Adding Cueto might be enough to push the team over the top.
The Blue Jays don’t have the farm system of some of the other teams on this list, but it has enough young pitching to interest the Reds.
Minnesota Twins
The Twins were supposed to spend 2015 looking to the future and perhaps getting a glimpse of their very good farm system. Instead, Minnesota stands at 31-21 and is tied for first in the toughest division in the majors.
That pace isn’t likely sustainable, but Minnesota has established itself as a playoff contender at this point. Adding Cueto would help cement that status.
Somehow, the Twins have been able to win this much with Mike Pelfrey and Kyle Gibson as their best pitchers. Throw in Cueto at the top, plus improvement from Phil Hughes, who can be a lot better than he’s shown, and Minnesota would have a good enough rotation to hang around in the race.
The Twins probably won’t make such a move until the very last days before the trade deadline, as they have to be careful with how they play this season. Minnesota has one of the best, if not the top, farm system in the majors and could easily reel in Cueto if it wished.
Houston Astros
The other surprise team in the majors may want to cement its status as a true contender. Unlike the Twins, Houston plays in a weak-looking division and might have the talent to sustain its current 34-20 pace.
Dallas Keuchel has been the best pitcher in the AL this season, rookie Lance McCullers looks strong and Collin McHugh can be very good at times. The back of the rotation is a little shaky, so adding Cueto would allow the Astros to cast aside Roberto Hernandez while featuring a dominant 1-2 at the top.
Houston may be a little hesitant to pull off a major trade, as it’s still a club built for the future. With young talent all over the majors and minors, the Astros would still have a strong and deep farm system even if it dealt a couple of prospects
Los Angeles Dodgers
Just consider the Dodgers players in every major trade. Los Angeles has tremendous talent in the majors, a stacked farm system, World Series expectations and enough money to re-sign Cueto.
The Dodgers are set at the top of the rotation with Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke. But the back of the rotation is unsettled with injuries to Brandon McCarthy and Hyun-Jin Ryu. Adding Cueto would make the Dodgers World Series favorites, if they aren’t already.