What once seemed unlikely now has some life. Cincinnati Reds' starter Johnny Cueto is scheduled to become a free agent after the 2015 season, but his recent comments suggest it doesn't have to be that way.
Cueto has been one of the best pitchers in baseball over the past five seasons. The right-hander finished second in the National League Cy Young voting - only behind Clayton Kershaw - and let the NL in innings pitched (243 2/3), strikeouts (242), hits per nine innings (6.24) and opponents' batting average (.194). He went 20-9 with a 2.25 ERA and 0.96 WHIP in 34 starts.
As a result, the Reds have been realistic about signing Cueto to an extension or re-signing him after the season because he's likely to command top-dollar. Cincinnati has a number of large contracts already on the books with Joey Votto, Homer Bailey, Brandon Phillips and Jay Bruce, so giving Cueto a $100 million deal of his own might not be in the cards. Perhaps the two sides can work something out in an expedited fashion after Cueto spoke on Thursday.
"I want to stay here," Cueto said Thursday with trainer Tomas Vera interpreting, via The Associated Press. "Honest, I'd like to have a contract before spring training ends. But all I can do is play. At this point, I just have to keep working hard and let them work it out."
Cueto's agent said earlier in the offseason that the right-hander was open to extension talks up until Opening Day, but would not negotiate past that point because he wanted to concentrate on the season. Cincinnati is clearly interested bringing back their ace, but the contracts given out to starting pitchers such as Max Scherzer (seven years, $210 million) and Jon Lester (six years, $155 million), have set the bar to a whole new level. Cueto will lead the class of free-agent starting pitchers next offseason and he's guaranteed a mammoth deal, barring a poor 2015 campaign or a serious injury.
"I'm not sure we'll be able to [keep him], because the numbers are obviously starting to skyrocket and it's very tough in our market to continue to retain guys at a high price like that," Reds' general manager Walt Jocketty told MLB Network earlier this month. "We'll continue to work on that and see where it comes out."
The Reds picked up Cueto's $10 million option for 2015, which was a no-brainer, because the team is a few healthy players away from contending for the postseason. Injuries to Votto, Phillips, Bruce and closer Aroldis Chapman derailed the Reds' hopes of a shot at the playoffs last season and they're hoping to rebound in 2015.
If they can come to an agreement with Cueto and structure his deal to help the club continue to add players in subsequent seasons, the Reds will have themselves set up nicely for the future.
"He knows we appreciate him and want him to be here long-term," manager Bryan Price added. "He has earned the right to be one of the top-tier-paid pitchers."
