Veteran Right-Hander Apparently Plans to Keep Pitching in 2024

The soon-to-be 38-year-old Cueto battled injuries and ineffectiveness for the Miami Marlins in 2023, going 1-4 with a 6.02 ERA in 13 games. He pitched just 52.1 innings and struck out only 39.

But to Morosi's point, Cueto was a valuable pitcher as recently as 2022, when he made 24 starts for the Chicago White Sox and pitched to a 3.35 ERA.

He's pitched 16 years in the big leagues with the Reds, Royals, Giants, White Sox and Marlins. He was named an All-Star in both 2014 and 2016 and led the league in innings pitched in 2014 (243.2). He helped the Royals win the World Series in 2015 after a midseason trade.

Lifetime, Cueto is 144-111 with a 3.50 ERA. It's difficult to envision what kind of opportunity he'll get after his difficult season a year ago. A rebuilding team may look to bring Cueto in as a guy who can eat innings, and a competitive team may be interested in giving him a minor league deal with a chance to compete for a Major League job.

At that point, it comes down to what Cueto would value at this point in his career.