Former San Francisco Giants All-Star Agrees To Deal with Angels

Johnny Cueto is taking another shot at getting back to the Majors Leagues after signing a deal with the Los Angeles Angels.

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

Former San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Johnny Cueto is back on the west coast after he signed a minor league deal with the Los Angels Angels, as reported by the New York Post.

Cueto was most recently with the Texas Rangers on a similar deal, a team managed by his former skipper in San Francisco, Bruce Bochy.

Cueto pitched two months for the Rangers’ Triple-A affiliate in Round Rock, where he struck out 30 hitters in 38 innings while finishing with a 5.92 ERA. He opted out of his deal on July 2 to explore free agency.

Before signing with the Rangers he was with Estrellas Orientales in the Dominican Winter League.

The 38-year-old right-hander joined the Giants in 2016 and spent six years with the team, the first four under Bochy and the next two under his successor, Gabe Kapler.

Cueto’s first year in the bay area was, by far his best. He was named to his second National League All-Star team and went 18-5 with a 2.79 ERA in 32 starts. He led the NL with five complete games, had 198 strikeouts in 219.2 innings and finished sixth in Cy Young voting.

After that, injuries hampered Cueto’s career, one that included a six-year, $130 million deal with the Giants. In 2017 he dealt with persistent blisters and a forearm injury. In 2018 he suffered an elbow injury that led to Tommy John surgery. He returned late in 2019, pitched for the Giants in the COVID-shortened 2020 season and went 7–7 with a 4.08 ERA in his final season in San Francisco in 2021.

With the Giants Cueto was 39-27 with a 3.81 ERA in 104 games.

He signed with the Chicago White Sox in 2022 and went 8-10 with a 3.35 ERA in 25 games. He joined Miami in 2023 and went 1-4 with a 6.02 ERA in 13 games as he dealt with a biceps injury and an ankle injury most of the season.

The Dominican Republic native is a 16-year Major League veteran won has made two All-Star Games, finished in the Top 4 in Cy Young voting twice and won a World Series ring with the 2015 Kansas City Royals.

He has a career record of 144-111 with a 3.50 ERA and 1,851 strikeouts. He’s best known for his time with Cincinnati, where he played the first eight seasons of his career and won 20 games in 2014.

He joined the Royals as a trade deadline deal in 2015 and helped them win their first World Series title since 1985.