MLB Rumors: Toronto Blue Jays Interested In Another Veteran Free Agent Pitcher

He began last season with only a minor league deal, and didn't make it back to the bigs until the middle of May. But from that point on, 36-year-old veteran right-hander Johnny Cueto showed that he can still deal in the major leagues. Now a free agent once again, the Toronto Blue Jays could be interested in adding him to their already-loaded staff.

#BlueJays showing interest in Cueto https://t.co/stUeFXHmPM pic.twitter.com/uh7eMPA5lp

— Ben Turner (@benturn22) December 14, 2022

The Blue Jays are fresh off the addition of one of the very good starters on the free agent market in solid veteran Chris Bassitt. But with the prospect of either Yusei Kikuchi or Mitch White having to fill the 5th starter role as it is now, they are still in the market to add more pitching, and according to Ben Nicholson-Smith, they have interest in Cueto.

The former longtime San Francisco Giant, who'll be 37 by Opening Day, is a 15-year veteran of the big league wars, and posted an impressive 3.35 ERA with the Chicago White Sox this past season in 24 starts with a 1.22 WHIP. 

Over the course of his career, Cueto has an impressive 3.44 ERA with a 1.21 WHIP and a 7.4 to 2.1 strikeout-to-walk ratio. He's a two-time All-Star, and posted a 3.81 ERA in his six previous seasons before 2022, with the Giants. 

And to top it off, he'd be an entertaining addition to the rotation. 

Johnny Cueto still has the best delivery in baseball pic.twitter.com/OjT49Zl68N

— ATBBTTR (@ATBBTTR) July 24, 2020

There's a possibility that the Jays' top prospect, 20-year-old left-hander Ricky Tiedemann, could make an appearance sometime later in the 2023 season, but it's not something they want to count on, and another veteran for the rotation would still be very much on their shopping list. 

Photo: Kevin Sousa-USA TODAY Sports