Fansided

2016 MLB Season: 5 risky free agent signings

By Patrick Morgan

Mar 31, 2014; Baltimore, MD, USA; General view of Opening Day logo on the field before an opening day game between the Boston Red Sox and the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Joy R. Absalon-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 31, 2014; Baltimore, MD, USA; General view of Opening Day logo on the field before an opening day game between the Boston Red Sox and the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Joy R. Absalon-USA TODAY Sports /
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Dec 17, 2015; San Francisco, CA, USA; San Francisco senior vice president/general manager Bobby Evans shakes hand after the signing of pitcher Johnny Cueto at a press conference at AT&T Park. Mandatory Credit: John Hefti-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 17, 2015; San Francisco, CA, USA; San Francisco senior vice president/general manager Bobby Evans shakes hand after the signing of pitcher Johnny Cueto at a press conference at AT&T Park. Mandatory Credit: John Hefti-USA TODAY Sports /

1. Johnny Cueto to the Giants

Johnny Cueto must be laughing all the way to the bank these days. After spending seven-and-a-half seasons emerging as an ace for the Cincinnati Reds, Cueto was traded to Kansas City last July just in time to help the Royals to their second World Series title in franchise history. And if winning a ring wasn’t enough, he landed a six-year, $130 million contract with the San Francisco Giants last December, and will now have the opportunity to pitch for one of the best teams in Major League Baseball over the past decade.

Cueto also has the insurance of an opt-out clause after two years if things are rockier than expected in S.F., so he’s pretty much set for the rest of his life. The Giants, on the other hand, have landed another pitcher with some major question marks attached to him, and this one cost them $40 million more than Samardzija.

Cueto was sharp in Game 2 of the World Series, displaying the poise and control that earned him his status as one of the game’s premier pitchers in the first place. However, his time as a Royal was anything but consistent, as he went 4-7 over his regular season starts with a 4.76 ERA. He also got manhandled by Toronto in Game 3 of the ALCS, spotting the Jays eight earned runs over just two innings of work. Which Cueto the Giants receive will go a long way toward determining whether this offseason was a masterstroke for the organization or a chapter best forgotten.

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