Proper-hander Johnny Cueto has exercised the opt-out in his minor league take care of the Rangers, per Jon Heyman of The New York Publish on X. The veteran is now a free agent, per Ari Alexander of KPRC 2 on X.
Cueto, 38, signed a minor league take care of the Rangers again in April. By the top of Might, he had made 4 minor league begins, permitting 5 earned runs in 18 innings for a tidy ERA of two.50. It appeared the Rangers had some curiosity in including him to the roster down the road however couldn’t discover area straight away, so the two sides agreed to kick his opt-outs down the street to June 14 and July 1.
Since then, his outcomes have dropped off. He’s made 5 begins for the reason that begin of June, with two of them being seven-run clunkers. Total, he’s allowed 21 earned runs in 23 innings over these 5 most up-to-date outings, giving him a 5.71 ERA within the minors this yr.
Whereas Cueto has struggled, the rotation in Texas has gotten extra crowded. Nathan Eovaldi was reinstated from the injured checklist on the finish of Might, with Jon Grey and Max Scherzer following within the month of June, taking spots alongside Andrew Heaney and Michael Lorenzen. These reinstatements bumped Dane Dunning and José Ureña into lengthy aid roles regardless of having some first rate numbers on the yr.
With the mixture of Cueto’s numbers and the rotation image in Arlington, it’s comprehensible that the membership didn’t need to add him to the roster, making this opt-out a logical subsequent step for the righty. He’ll head to the open market and search for a greater path again to the massive leagues elsewhere.
Although the numbers in Triple-A haven’t been nice, Cueto has a prolonged monitor report within the majors. He has a 3.50 ERA in over 2,000 innings relationship again to his 2008 debut. The outcomes have been shakier recently, as he’s completed three of the previous 5 MLB seasons with an ERA above 5.00. That features final yr, when accidents restricted him to 52 1/3 innings with the Marlins with a 6.02 ERA. However as not too long ago as 2022, he tossed 158 1/3 with the White Sox whereas conserving his ERA down to three.35.
