Angels signing former Cy Young finalist
Apr 15, 2020; Anaheim, California, USA; General overall view of the Los Angeles Angels logo at Angel Stadium of Anaheim amid the global coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY NETWORK
The 2024 Los Angeles Angels continue to be the home of second chances.
Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported Saturday that the Angels have agreed to a deal with veteran right-hander Johnny Cueto. It will be a minor-league contract for Cueto, Heyman adds.
Cueto is a two-time MLB All-Star and an ex-World Series champion with the Kansas City Royals in 2015. He also led the National League in strikeouts during the 2014 season and finished as Cy Young runner-up that year to Clayton Kershaw.
But that feels like a lifetime ago at this point since Cueto is 38 years old now and has not thrown a major-league pitch since the 2023 MLB season. Cueto became a free agent after opting out of his minor-league contract with the Texas Rangers earlier this month (having posted a 5.92 ERA with 30 strikeouts over eight starts for them at Triple-A this season).
Still, the Angels have given plenty of chances this year to otherwise forgotten veterans, many of whom have not played in the big leagues in years. They recently gave up on one such name who didn’t work out for them but now will take another chance with Cueto on a minor-league deal.
