In the midst of a rare down season, the San Francisco Giants could very well decide to sell off some veteran assets between now and July’s trade deadline.
San Francisco currently finds itself in last place in the NL West with a 27-48 mark. In fact, Bruce Bochy’s squad boasts the second-worst record in Major League Baseball heading into Friday’s action.
One player that could be on the move is starting pitcher Johnny Cueto, who signed a six-year, $130 million contract with the team prior to last season.
Though, if the Giants decide to keep Cueto, don’t expect him to be on the team next season.
According to Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports, Cueto is expected to opt out of his contract following the 2017 campaign.
“San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Johnny Cueto is planning to opt out of his contract at the end of the year, but he would listen to any extension offer,” the scribe reported.
Heyman went on to note that San Francisco isn’t inclined to even discuss another contract with Cueto.
This is interesting in that the 31-year-old Cueto is putting up one of the worst seasons of his career. He’s pitched to a 4.42 ERA and 1.30 WHIP in 15 starts on the season. With nearly $90 million still owed to him, it would make sense that Cueto might want to continue playing under his current deal.
In any event, this will lead to further speculation that Cueto himself will be moved by the Giants prior to the trade deadline.