Four pitchers the Red Sox can acquire to fill in for Chris Sale
By Daniel Fox
Red Sox target: RHP Johnny Cueto
It’s been a rough few years for Johnny Cueto. A rash of injuries, most notably an August 2018 Tommy John surgery, has limited him to just 71 starts over the five seasons following his 2016 All-Star campaign. When he has been on the mound, he hasn’t been the same top-level pitcher, posting a sub-500 record and a 4.38 ERA in that span.
Yet like Pineda, there is something to be said for a veteran pitcher who knows how to sequence hitters. Cueto still possesses a five-pitch mix, including a fastball, changeup, and slider that he throws 23% of the time or higher.
His changeup, once considered one of the best in baseball during his prime, has actually gained vertical movement over the last few years, while his fastball velocity was his highest since 2015. It may not be vintage Cueto, but it’s clear there is still something left in the tank.
Cueto is also coming off a hopeful 2021 campaign in which he threw his most innings since 2017 and his lowest ERA since 2016. The underlying numbers were promising as well, as his 9.7% swinging-strike rate and 31.4% chase rate were his highest since 2017.
Cueto’s ability to throw all five pitches for strikes and disrupt hitters’ timing would fit well in a division filled with power-hitting righties, and he proved last year that he’s worth taking a risk on.