With the holiday season now in the rearview mirror, it's time for Major League Baseball's offseason to resume in a meaningful capacity. We here at CBS Sports are committed to collecting all of Wednesday's rumors, news, and notes in a single place for convenient viewing. With that in mind, let's get to it.
Cueto market heating up
Veteran right-hander Johnny Cueto is drawing interest from the Padres, Marlins, and Reds, according to The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal.
Cueto, 37 years old in February, appeared in 25 games with the White Sox last season. He accumulated a 3.35 ERA (118 ERA+) and a 3.09 strikeout-to-walk ratio. His contributions were worth an estimated 3.5 Wins Above Replacement.
Cueto was ranked by CBS Sports as the 49th best free agent available this winter:
The Buddhist monk Yongey Mingyur once wrote that confusion is the beginning of understanding. Confusion is the entirety of understanding Cueto. He doesn't throw hard or miss bats, but he suppresses contact quality by befuddling hitters. His shell game is constructed from a combination of deception, movement, and precision. Cueto alters his tempo and drops his release point; he disguises his strikes as balls (and vice versa); and he benefits from what is now called seam-shifted wake. He's a wisened smoke-and-mirrors artist who is still learning new tricks, such as mothballing his curveball and upping his usage of sinkers and cutters. A one-year deal to serve as someone's back-the-rotation veteran illusionist seems likely.
Next season will mark Cueto's 16th in the majors.
The Diamondbacks have agreed to terms with veteran right-hander Zach Davies on a one-year deal worth $5 million, according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post. Davies can earn up to $3 million in incentives, per Heyman.
Davies, 30 years old come February, made 27 starts for the Diamondbacks last season, amassing a 4.09 ERA (98 ERA+) and a 1.96 strikeout-to-walk ratio over the course of 134 innings. Davies has pitched in parts of eight big-league seasons overall, collecting a 103 ERA+ and an estimated 9.6 Wins Above Replacement, according to the calculations made by Baseball Reference.
Davies figures to slot in near the back of the Diamondbacks rotation. Arizona has been active in recent weeks, signing third baseman Evan Longoria and relievers Miguel Castro and Scott McGough while obtaining catcher Gabriel Moreno and outfielders Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Kyle Lewis through trade.
Brewers acquire right-handed pitcher
Righty Bryse Wilson was designated for assignment last week by the Pirates and the Brewers have now acquired him for cash considerations.
Wilson, 25, was 3-9 with a 5.52 ERA, 1.42 WHIP and 79 strikeouts in 115 2/3 innings last season for Pittsburgh. He was a fourth-round pick out of high school by the Braves in 2016 and moved quickly through the season to debut with them in 2018. Prior to the 2019 season, he was a consensus top-100 prospect. Things just haven't worked out at the major-league level to this point (5.54 ERA, 5.26 FIP in 232 1/3 career innings).
The Brewers have an excellent pitching infrastructure, though, so it's possible this is a great move for Wilson's career.
