Atlanta Braves potential trades make off-day news
By Fred Owens
As usual for his suggested trades involving the Atlanta Braves, Jim Bowden’s pairing is unrealistic; this time, the cost involved seems way too high.
In the post linked earlier, Bowden says the Braves should send Touki Touissant and Patrick Weigel to San Francisco in return for Johnny Cueto and cash.
Cueto’s been a hired gun in the past; the Royals acquired him in their push to win the 2015 World Series. He wasn’t particularly good in-season, throwing 81-1/3 innings in 13 starts with a 4.76 ERA, 4.06 FIP, and 1.451 WHIP; in the postseason, he earned his pay.
He started games two of the ALDS, gave up four runs early, then threw three shutdown innings against Houston, but the Royals came back to win. In game five, Cueto gave up a pair in the second inning on the only two hits he’d allow that day, then threw six shutout innings to beat the Astros.
Toronto got into his head in the ALCS and chased him after two innings and eight runs. However, he started game two of the World Series and threw nine innings, allowing one run on two hits.
I left my UCL in San Francisco.
He signed a big contract with the Giants and had a stellar 2016, posting a 2.79 ERA in 219-2/3 innings, and threw eight, three-hit, one-run innings against the Cubs in the playoffs.
The 2017 season saw Cueto take a step back. He made 25 starts and threw only 147-1/3 innings with a 4.52 due to a series of niggling injuries. In 2018 he went on the IL and ended up having UCL replacement surgery, returning in 2019 to throw only 16 innings for the Giants.
In 2020, Cueto has made six starts and thrown 31 innings with a 4.35 ERA, 4.01 FIP, and 1.129 WHIP, an acceptable line for a number three starter. However, Cueto gets paid like a number one, not a number three.
He has approximately $3.7M due for the remainder of this year, and it gets worse. Cueto turns 35 in February and earns $21M in 2021, and carries a $5M buyout on a $22M option for 2022.
I think that’s too rich for the Atlanta Braves, particularly if they have to include two pitchers in the deal because I doubt the Giants want to eat $20M of that contract.