Johnny Cueto – much like the rest of his Giants’ teammates – has had an underwhelming 2017 season. His drop in production has helped contribute to San Francisco sitting at the bottom of the National League West with one of the worst records in the league.
Heading into the season, many outside the organization believed that if Cueto pitched like he did in 2016 (18-5, 2.79 ERA), he would opt out of his contract with the Giants and become a free agent following the season.
Cueto can still make that decision if he chooses, but a rocky 2017 campaign that has featured a late start to spring training, reoccurring blister issues and a forearm strain that landed him on the disabled list has contributed to a 6-7 record with a 4.79 ERA, a far cry from the high level of production he showed through the first nine years of his career.
Opt in or opt out? Giants CEO Larry Baer doesn’t know, but he hopes Cueto is back in the orange and black next season.
“I think our view is until we hear otherwise, that Johnny Cueto will be a Giant next year and that’s he going to anchor the [Giants] staff,” Baer said. “If you really look at it, every team has injuries. You can’t use injuries as an excuse, so I’m not making any excuses from an injury perspective, but our formula is pitching, defense and timely hitting. That’s been the formula that brought us championships. So what did we have? We had Bumgarner out for half the season. Johnny having the issue during spring training which was a family thing. He was with his dad and it was a tough thing. He’s had the blister on and off all year.
“Our hope is, it’s certainly up to Johnny, there’s no information whether he’s going to opt out or not, but the way we’re looking at it is Johnny Cueto atop the Giants rotation next year.”
It appears the Giants are hoping for a Cueto return in 2018. That remains to be seen for Pablo Sandoval – who returned to the organization in early August – although Baer and the organization are pleased with what the Panda has brought to the clubhouse.
“The thing we’ve seen – which is a good thing, which is pleasant – is not that much has changed, in the sense that in the dugout, in the clubhouse he’s got great energy, he wants to play,” Baer said.
“I don’t think that its been a coincidence that since he’s been back, our record has been 10-8 since he’s been back on the Giants. He’s an energy guy and that is important.”
Cueto and Sandoval are just two questions that Baer and the Giants front office will have to answer in the offseason if they hope to turn it around in 2018.
