Johnny Cueto Opts Out of Contract With Texas Rangers, Enters Free Agency

The Texas Rangers signed Johnny Cueto to a minor league deal back in April, but the former All-Star has elected to hit the open market again midway through the season.

Sep 27, 2023; New York, NY, USA; Miami Marlins starting pitcher Johnny Cueto (47) delivers a pitch during the first inning against the New York Mets at Citi Field. / Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

Veteran right-handed pitcher Johnny Cueto has opted out of his minor league contract with the Texas Rangers, The New York Post's Jon Heyman was first to report Tuesday afternoon.

Cueto joined the organization in April after spending the whole offseason in free agency. Now, he is a free agent yet again.

The 38-year-old righty made one appearance with the Arizona Complex League Rangers and eight starts with Triple-A Round Rock. Across those nine outings, Cueto went 2-1 with a 5.71 ERA, 1.220 WHIP and 7.5 strikeouts per nine innings.

Cueto last pitched in the big leagues in 2023 with the Miami Marlins, going 1-4 with a 6.02 ERA, 1.261 WHIP and 6.7 strikeouts per nine innings. Miami declined their player option on Cueto in November.

It may be eight years since Cueto last made an All-Star appearance, but his resume could still be plenty enticing for clubs in need of a back-end starter or veteran long reliever.

Cueto made his MLB debut with the Cincinnati Reds back in 2008, finished fourth in NL Cy Young voting in 2012 and finished second in NL Cy Young voting in 2014. The Reds traded Cueto to the Kansas City Royals in 2015, and he helped them win the World Series that same fall.

From there, Cueto inked a six-year, $130 million contract with the San Francisco Giants. He was named an All-Star and finished sixth in NL Cy Young voting in 2016, but it didn't take long for injuries to take their toll on Cueto's career.

Cueto suffered from blisters and a forearm injury in 2017, then missed the vast majority of the 2018 and 2019 seasons after undergoing Tommy John surgery. COVID-19 and multiple elbow strains limited his workload in 2020 and 2021 as well.

At the conclusion of his contract with the Giants, Cueto latched on with the Chicago White Sox and enjoyed a moderate bounce back season in 2022. He went 8-10 with a 3.35 ERA, 1.225 WHIP and a 3.5 WAR.

Still, Cueto is just 30-36 with a 4.25 ERA, 1.316 WHIP and a 7.7 WAR over his last seven MLB seasons. Over his previous seven big league campaigns, Cueto was 82-53 with a 2.73 ERA, 1.084 WHIP and a 26.2 WAR.

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