Atlanta Braves: Four starters to target before the Trade Deadline
By Ben Fadden
At the MLB trade deadline, the Atlanta Braves should bite on Johnny Cueto.
Johnny Cueto is someone that would be perfect for the Atlanta Braves if they are willing to take on his contract (with a little help from the Giants).
When it comes to the pitching side of things, Cueto has come back relatively strong from Tommy John surgery a couple of years ago.
In an era that has seen the ball jumping off bats, Cueto has only surrendered six home runs since his surgery and has recorded 40 strikeouts in ten starts.
His numbers this season don’t fairly portray the impact he could have on the mound this season for a contender because in nearly every start he could have gone six innings but his manager, Gabe Kapler, tends to over-manage and so he tries to use bullpen matchups too early in the game.
Cueto has tons of postseason experience, which is something that was lacking in the young rotation last October and arguably was one of the reasons why they were eliminated in the first round.
He has appeared in the postseason as the ace of the Cincinnati Reds (2010, 2012-2013), the Kansas City Royals (2015), and the San Francisco Giants (2016).
As you might remember Cueto was a big contributor to the 2015 Royals World Series championship team and he seems to be one of those guys that can flip the switch once October comes around.
If he comes to Atlanta, it immediately gives them a reliable veteran starter that has the ability to pitch in those must-win games–something they didn’t really have in last year’s rotation besides Mike Soroka.