Report: Giants making 'strong push' for Johnny Cueto
Up until Monday morning, it was looking like the San Francisco Giants were going to maintain the status quo for the rest of the offseason and not make too much noise.
Then came the tweet that started changing minds.
It makes for some stellar hot stove talk, considering how the Giants have pursued big-name players in past offseasons and how they view their starting rotation headed into the 2016 season.
San Francisco was a top candidate to land big fish Zack Greinke before the former-Dodger signed a colossal deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Orange & Black quickly went out and signed Jeff Samardzija — whom the club had reportedly been keeping tabs on for some time — leading most to believe that the Giants wouldn't look to throw money at any more big names this offseason. (Much like the previous offseason, when San Francisco remained quiet after losing out on the John Lester sweepstakes.)
But the whispers that the Giants might be showing extra interest in Cueto says a couple things. First off, they want another arm that can successfully go deep into games and take some of the pressure off the bullpen — especially since their go-to swing guy the last couple seasons, Yusmeiro Petit, is now a Washington National, and it's unknown whom will fill in that roll next year. Cueto is coming off a postseason run with Kansas City in which he logged 25 innings, including a complete-game 7-1 win for the Royals over the Mets in the World Series.
It could be that they're more serious about revamping their starting rotation past just adding Samardzija. Perhaps San Francisco is concerned that World Series-winning starter Matt Cain won't be back to his 2012-caliber self after missing much of the last two seasons surrounding surgery and elbow issues. That makes Cueto an interesting target, however, given that he has a pretty lengthy injury history himself.
It could also be the Dodgers factor. Los Angeles has been tied to Cueto ever since it lost Greinke to Arizona, and San Francisco would be smart not to just let a starter like Cueto go to its archrival without putting up a fight. The Giants and Dodgers duking it out over this particular player would be entertaining given that Cueto's destination might not be determined by who pays him the most money — he turned down a six-year, $120 million deal from Arizona before the D-backs turned around and signed Greinke.
According to Doug Miller of MLB.com, Cueto's agent said the righty will "likely" pick a team within the next week. It will probably be revealed in just a couple days, however, how serious the Giants are about signing him.
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