Is Johnny Cueto pitching himself off the Giants’ roster?
Not in a he-can’t-retire-anybody-anymore kind of way.
But in a contenders-would-love-to-have-him kind of way.
The new trade deadline is Aug. 31, a bit more than two weeks away, and the right-hander could be a popular target for teams seeking a proven rotation force.
Friday night, Cueto gave up one hit through six innings. His previous start, no hits through five innings. Yes, some nutty stuff occurred afterward in each case, but this is a nutty year, and it’s easy for scouts to peak through the nuttiness and recognize his value.
“I have a brand new elbow so everything is fine. I feel stronger,” Cueto said after Friday’s crushing 8-7 loss to the A’s (through interpreter Erwin Higueros), confirming he has no ill effects from Tommy John surgery, which shelved him until last September.
With most teams heading to the playoffs (16 of 30), few clubs will imagine they’re out of the race, which could create a seller’s market with a lot more teams than usual wanting to load up.
Cueto isn’t merely a one-month rental — he’s signed through 2021 — and management might be able to swing a deal for a decent prospect. He’ll make a hefty $21 million in 2021 with a $5 million buyout for the 2022 option, so the Giants would need to eat a chunk of the contract in order to move him.
It would be easier to part with pitchers Kevin Gausman and (if he recovers from his finger injury) Drew Smyly, who were signed in the offseason to one-year contracts and could fetch prospects.
Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi did a nice job at the 2019 deadline when sending Mark Melancon to the Braves, who agreed to pick up the reliever’s entire contract, which runs through this season, and gave up pitcher Tristan Beck, who had a 2.27 ERA in six starts at Class A San Jose.
The Giants are showing no signs of making a playoff run. They’ve dropped nine of 12 with a shoddy defense and thin bullpen, both of which were on display Friday. For the first time since 1929, the Giants lost a game with a five-run lead in the ninth.
Who knows when the Giants can contend again. Meantime, shedding a huge contract could assist in the rebuilding process by adding young talent and clearing payroll space — that’s if teams are willing to bring in other players with the COVID-19 concerns and dismiss the possibility that the season might not finish.
“I feel fine. I feel strong,” Cueto said. “I just hope the team continues to play better, that we continue to win games, that we continue to hit, that we continue to improve defensively.”
Cueto isn’t intimidated by top-end teams. The last two starts were against the Dodgers and A’s, and he upped his velocity to 94 mph in the latest.
The no-hit bid ended when Hunter Pence lost a fly ball in the Los Angeles sky to open the sixth inning. Everything quickly unraveled. A couple of walks and a three-run homer, and suddenly Cueto had coughed up four runs.
Through six innings Friday, Cueto yielded one hit, a Stephen Piscotty single in the third. Cueto struck out Matt Olson to begin the seventh but gave up a single to Mark Canha and triple to Robbie Grossman.
Cueto retired the next two batters (104 pitches through seven innings) and was charged with two runs. The Giants were destined for a win carrying a 7-2 lead into the ninth, but Wilmer Flores’ misplay at first and a whole lot of relief woes helped Oakland celebrate.
“That’s what baseball is,” Cueto said. “You want things to go your way, but when they don’t, then you just move forward.”
John Shea covers the Giants for The San Francisco Chronicle. Email: jshea@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @JohnSheaHey
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August 15, 2020 at 06:00PM
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Why Giants’ Johnny Cueto could be popular trade deadline target - San Francisco Chronicle
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