Giants to sign Johnny Cueto to a six-year, $130 million deal

Bob Nightengale | USA TODAY Sports

The San Francisco Giants reeled in yet another elite free agent starting pitcher, agreeing to terms on a six-year, $130 million contract with Johnny Cueto.

A person with direct knowledge of the negotiations confirmed that Cueto and the Giants reached agreement. The person spoke to USA TODAY Sports on condition of anonymity because the deal has not yet been finalized.

Cueto, 29, can opt out of his contract after two seasons, but for now, he joins a formidable 1-2-3 punch with left-hander Madison Bumgarner and Jeff Samardzija, who signed a five-year, $90 million contract last week.

He figures to flourish pitching in the NL West - Cueto has a 1.69 ERA in three career starts in San Francisco - as he was one of the NL's most dominant starters while calling hitter-friendly Great America Ballpark home.

He has a carer 96-70 record, spending all but two of his eight seasons with the Reds. Cueto's finest season came in 2013, when he was Cy Young runner-up to Clayton Kershaw. That year, Cueto led the NL with 242 strikeouts in a league-high 243 2/3 innings, finished second in WHIP (0.96) and won 20 games.

He struggled in 2015 after a July trade to the Kansas City Royals, but pitched a two-hitter in a dominating Game 2 win in the World Series, and also won the decisive Game 5 of the AL Division Series.

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