MIAMI — The Miami Marlins and right-hander Johnny Cueto have agreed on a deal that guarantees him $8.5 million for 2023, a person with knowledge of the negotiations told The Associated Press on Tuesday.
That includes a $2.5 million buyout if the Marlins do not exercise a club option for 2024, according to the person who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the contract won’t be signed until a physical is completed.
If the option is picked up, the total contract would be $16.5 million, the person said. The New York Post first reported the agreement between Cueto and the Marlins.
The move, for now, would appear to create even more of a logjam in the Marlins’ rotation. NL Cy Young winner Sandy Alcantara leads that group, with Pablo Lopez, Trevor Rogers, Edward Cabrera, Braxton Garrett and Jesús Luzardo all coming off a year when they made at least 14 starts.
Cueto, who turns 37 in February, was 8-10 with a 3.35 ERA for the Chicago White Sox in 2022. He logged 158 1/3 innings, his most since throwing 219 2/3 innings for San Francisco in 2016, the second of his two All-Star years.
Cueto also was an All-Star for Cincinnati in 2014, when he won a career-best 20 games.
In 15 seasons, he has gone 143-107 with a 3.44 ERA, having pitched for the Reds, San Francisco Giants, White Sox and Kansas City Royals. He went 1-0 in the World Series with the Royals in 2015, helping them beat the New York Mets in five games.
