San Francisco Giants starter Johnny Cueto is poised to hit the free agent market at season’s end.
According to Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports, Cueto is expected to opt out of his contract after the season, forfeiting $84 million over four years. The expectation is that Cueto would easily eclipse that figure on the open market, and it’s likely the last chance the 31-year-old would have to cash in on a big, long-term deal.
With the Giants struggling, Heyman notes that there is a chance Cueto could become trade bait closer to the July deadline. There are sticking points to that, as Cueto would be a due a $500,000 bonus if traded, and the looming opt-out would be an issue for acquiring teams.
Another reason Cueto will look to free agency could be the fact that he’d prefer to be in the other league, in addition to the obvious financial benefits.
