New York Yankees trade rumors could lead to Johnny Cueto joining the team soon. The Yankees are scouting Cueto to see if he could be a good acquisition for the team, possibly giving another huge weapon in the starting rotation. A report on NBC Sports from late Sunday (June 14) stated that the Yankees and Detroit Tigers had scouts watching Cueto make his last start. That’s a big indication that negotiations might already be underway.
Cueto is in the final season of a deal that pays him $10 million from the Reds, making him quite affordable for any team needing an ace starting pitcher. He has a 2.85 ERA and 0.949 WHIP over 12 starts this season, striking out 82 batters over 85-and-a-third innings pitched. Cueto finished second in the 2014 National League Cy Young voting, posting a 20-9 record, with a 2.25 ERA and 0.96 WHIP. Those are numbers that any pitching staff would love to see come over in a trade.
What has been made very clear by the New York Yankees this season is that the team likely needs more than just a starting pitcher. The middle infield positions are a bit of a wreck, suggesting that the team might need to acquire an infielder, as well. In previous rumors, the Yankees have been linked to Ben Zobrist and Dustin Ackley, but maybe Brandon Phillips could be another interesting option. If the Reds are looking to rebuild, trading Phillips as part of a Cueto deal might make a lot of sense.
As previously reported on the Inquisitr , Johnny Cueto was a big part of the 2012 Cincinnati Reds team that made the postseason. He was 19-9 with a 2.78 ERA during the regular season, emerging as one of the best pitchers in baseball. Though the Reds would lose to the San Francisco Giants in the NLDS, it certainly served as a preview of what Cueto might be able to do during his career. A few years later, he might bring back a very nice group of players for the Reds.
Cueto is going to be a free agent at the end of the 2015 MLB season, meaning he might not garner as good a package as the Reds are hoping for in a deal. That being said, there are certainly going to be a number of suitors as the MLB trade deadline starts to get closer. Among all the New York Yankees trade rumors that have floated around this year, acquiring Cueto would certainly be among the boldest moves the team could make. Adding him to a starting rotation with Masahiro Tanaka and Michael Pineda could be enough to win this team another AL East title.
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