The Cincinnati Reds failed to reach an agreement on a contract extension with starter Johnny Cueto before Opening Day, which was the deadline he and his agent set before they would no longer negotiate. If the team isn't contending come July, will working out a trade for Cueto be a top priority?
Jon Heyman of CBS Sports reported last week that Cueto is "believed to be seeking $200 million, or thereabouts," which is no surprise considering Max Scherzer received a $210 million deal this offseason and Jon Lester pocketed $155 million. Reds general manager Walt Jocketty previously acknowledged Cueto's worth may be out of the Reds' price range because of the market they're in.
It's pretty obvious Cincinnati wouldn't be able to afford a $200 million contract because they already have Joey Votto ($225 million), Homer Bailey ($105 million), Brandon Phillips ($98 million) and Jay Bruce ($51 million) signed for at least the next two seasons. Bruce has a team option for 2017 and the rest are signed on for that season, totaling $55 million.
Hall of Fame baseball writer Hal McCoy penned an article over the weekend that suggested there's "no chance" Cueto gives the Reds a break in contract talks (if they're even still ongoing), which throws out the possibility of a hometown discount. Just for some perspective, Scherzer's contract pays him at least $22 million per season from 2016-2021. Adding an annual salary like that to Cincinnati's books would undoubtedly put them over the edge.
So if Cueto is seeking $200 million and not willing to give the Reds a hometown discount, is a trade inevitable for the right-hander?
"According to one National League GM, 'He was the one guy among the potential free agents you could see being available. But if the Reds are also in contention it might be slim pickings at the trade deadline this year,'" writes Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. "It's still early. One doesn't know where the A's (Scott Kazmir), White Sox (Jeff Samardzija), Tigers (David Price), Nationals (Jordan Zimmermann, Doug Fister), and Red Sox (Justin Masterson) will be."
We'll see where the Reds are at come July. They're off to a solid start after a down year in 2014, but the NL Central is perhaps the most competitive division in baseball, so they'll have to keep up early on or else they may be out of contention fast.
