Fansided

MLB Hot Stove: 5 potential free agent targets for the San Francisco Giants

By Dave Stevenson

Aug 4, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; General view of a San Francisco Giants hat and glove in the dugout against the Atlanta Braves in the third inning at Turner Field. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 4, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; General view of a San Francisco Giants hat and glove in the dugout against the Atlanta Braves in the third inning at Turner Field. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
5 of 6
Next
Jul 31, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; (Editors note: Caption correction) Kansas City Royals pitcher Johnny Cueto (47) throws a pitch during the first inning in a game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports
Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports /

Johnny Cueto

Cueto would be an excellent fit for the San Francisco Giants. Teams like to have that lefty-righty combo at the top of their rotation. The Giants are no different. Their ace Madison Bumgarner is a lefty. Cueto is a righty, so signing him would allow the Giants to have that elusive lefty-righty combo at the top of their rotation.

Cueto had a ton of success while pitching roughly half of his games with the Reds in the Great American Ballpark, which is typically viewed as a park that favors home run hitters. 35.1% of the batted balls during Cueto’s career have been flyballs. He has a career home run to flyball percentage (which measures the percentage of flyballs that a pitcher allows that are home runs) of 10%. That is quite good and it would likely drop if Cueto signs with the Giants because AT&T Park is a park that significantly favors pitchers.

The San Francisco Giants could also be an attractive option for Cueto. The San Francisco Giants have won three World Series in the past six seasons. The Giants obviously give Cueto an excellent chance of winning. San Francisco Giants manager Bruce Bochy does marvelous work with pitchers. Most of all, Cueto would be going to a team that has proven that they reward their players who perform well. Cueto has an excellent shot of performing well with the San Franciso Giants.

The San Francisco Giants would also benefit from Cueto’s durability. Should the Giants sign Leake and Cueto, that would give them three pitchers who they can count on to give them at worst just below 200 innings a piece for the foreseeable future. This is a great fit for both sides.

Next: Zack Greinke

Home/MLB Free Agency