After Madison Bumgarner went down with a Grade 2 shoulder sprain in the middle of April, the San Francisco Giants had to wait nearly three months for Bumgarner to return to the rotation and form a one-two punch with right-hander Johnny Cueto.
Even though Cueto struggled through the first half of the 2017 season –dealing with a shortened Spring Training and early blister issues– San Francisco remained confident that once Bumgarner and Cueto joined together again at the top of the team’s rotation, many of the challenges the team faced during a miserable three-month stretch would disappear.
That’s one of the reasons why the anticipation surrounding Bumgarner’s return was so high, and also one of the reasons why his activation to the team’s 25-man roster on Saturday afternoon was so bittersweet.
Yes, the Giants had their horse back, but to clear room for Bumgarner, San Francisco placed Cueto on the 10-day disabled list.
Cueto exited Friday evening’s start –the Giants’ first game back after the All-Star break– after just four innings and 82 pitches. For the better part of the year, Cueto hasn’t looked like the same pitcher that dazzled through the 2016 season, and he’s attributed it to a few different factors.
After his last outing, Cueto acknowledged that missing three weeks of Spring Training to care for his ill father made it difficult for the 31-year-old to find his command. On Friday night, the Dominican Republic native admitted blisters have cropped up again on his pitching hand.
Though the season doesn’t quite qualify as a trainwreck for Cueto, his engine is stuck in the station for the time being, as the Giants will allow the right-hander to heal up.
Entering the month of July, Cueto appeared to be one of San Francisco’s top trade chips; a pitcher who’s been dealt before, thrives in the postseason and loves pitching for a contender. With San Francisco weary of potentially having to eat the four years and $84 million remaining on Cueto’s contract, it seemed logical that general manager Bobby Evans would survey the trade market to evaluate potential deals that could make a struggling Giants team stronger in the future.
Now, any trade discussions surrounding Cueto will have to wait until he comes off the disabled list, and at that point, Cueto will likely only have the opportunity to start one game before the July 31 deadline. The Giants would certainly have interest in dealing Cueto if a team desperate for starting pitching help offered an overly favorable haul for San Francisco, but at this point, no team is going to part with significant assets for a pitcher dealing with blister issues.
What makes Cueto’s situation more complicated for the Giants and potential trade partners is his contract, which runs through the end of the 2021 season, but includes an opt-out clause that would allow Cueto to hit the open market at the end of the year.
Any team hoping to acquire Cueto could be on the hook for four years at $84 million if Cueto elects to opt in, or could risk losing Cueto to free agency after the season. With the structure of Cueto’s deal, it makes it harder for a team to part with assets because if Cueto pitches well down the stretch, it would make sense for him to opt out and attempt to ink a larger contract elsewhere. But if Cueto pitches poorly, he’ll opt back in, which could put a team on the hook for a significant chunk of change owed to a pitcher that may be suffering through a mid-to-late career decline.
Essentially, when the season ends, Cueto will do what’s best for him, and whatever team he’s on –which increasingly looks like it will be the Giants– will have to live with his decision. In a perfect world for San Francisco, Cueto returns from injury, conquers his blister issues, pitches well, opts in and helps lead the team back to the playoffs in the immediate future. But in a sport where blister issues are on the rise, there’s bound to be serious concern surrounding Cueto’s long-term abilities.
This season alone, stars like Jake Arrieta, Corey Kluber and Noah Syndergaard have all dealt with blisters. Other reliable arms like David Price, Rich Hill and Marcus Stroman have also complained of the issue. For some pitchers, the blisters have been a blip on the radar, but for others like Cueto, the blisters have been a recurring problem that have contributed to frustrating seasons.
Heading into the second half of July, blisters have made Cueto a high-risk option on the trade market, and as a result, the Giants will more than likely keep Cueto through August and September. While it’s possible Cueto could clear waivers if the Giants strike a post-deadline deal for him, once July 31 hits, Cueto should be locked in with San Francisco through the end of the year.
At that point, Cueto’s pitching will determine his future. Throw well, and he could be back on the market with suitors lining up. Throw poorly, and the Giants could be stuck with $84 million of uncertainty.