Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Johnny Cueto will become a free agent after the 2015 season. He says he will not engage in contract extension talks past Opening Day, which means time is running out for the Reds.
With a number of other large contracts on the books beyond 2015, the Reds have limited resources and will likely have to do a lot of intricate financial structuring for a potential Cueto deal. Joey Votto ($225 million), Homer Baily ($105 million), Brandon Phillips ($98 million) and Jay Bruce ($52 million) are signed through at least 2016, with Votto and Bailey through 2019. These four will account for $63.5 million of the team's payroll in 2016.
But that's not stopping the Reds from continuing to work to keep Cueto.
"[General Manager] Walt Jocketty is sincere when he says the Reds are trying to tie Cueto up on a long-term deal," writes Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. "And he has a track record of doing that with Joey Votto and Homer Bailey. But if it can't get done, look for a trade deadline deal, and there will be lots of takers."
Jocketty is being fairly realistic about the whole process and said the Reds are "going to do everything" they can to keep him, but he's not sure what they'll be able to do because it's "very tough in our market to continue to retain guys at a high price like that." It didn't help that Max Scherzer received a $210 million deal and became the highest paid right-hander in history this offseason, especially since Cueto's numbers are comparable, if not better than his.
The 29-year-old right-hander owns a career record of 85-57 with a 3.27 ERA and 1.19 WHIP in 194 career starts, including his best campaign in 2014 during which he finished 20-9 with a 2.25 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 242 strikeouts in 34 starts (243 2/3 innings). He led the NL in innings pitched and strikeouts while finishing second in the NL Cy Young voting, only behind Dodgers' starter Clayton Kershaw.
It's not possible to tell right now what the market for Cueto will look like next offseason, but we can assume he's likely to land a deal in the six-year, $155 million range, like the one Jon Lester signed with the Chicago Cubs.
If the Reds can't extend Cueto before Opening Day and they're not in the playoff picture come middle of the summer, look for them to trade the right-hander before the July 31 deadline.
