Johnny Cueto, White Sox Agree to Reported Minor League Contract After Lynn Injury

The Chicago White Sox reportedly added some veteran pitching depth to their organization Monday.

Jeff Passan of ESPN reported the American League Central team agreed to a minor league deal with right-hander Johnny Cueto. Cueto will make $4.2 million on a contract that will be prorated for his time at the major league level.

He appeared to confirm the deal on Twitter:

Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic explained why it was a minor league deal:

Chicago needed pitching depth after ESPN's Jesse Rogers reported Lance Lynn suffered a "slight" tear to his right knee and will be out for approximately four weeks.

While the 36-year-old is well past his prime, the White Sox could have done far worse in terms of resumes when it comes to adding a pitcher just three days before Opening Day.

Cueto has pitched for the Cincinnati Reds, Kansas City Royals and San Francisco Giants throughout his career and has two All-Star selections and a World Series crown on his resume. He led the league with 242 strikeouts in 2014 and has five seasons with an ERA below 3.00.

He is also a proven playoff performer and pitched a complete-game victory over the New York Mets during the 2015 Fall Classic when he was with the Royals. He allowed just one earned run and two hits in that 7-1 win in Game 2 of a series the Royals won in five.

That surely stands out to a White Sox squad that is looking to make a playoff run after winning the AL Central last year.

Still, that version of Cueto may be in the past.

He finished the 2019 season with a 5.06 ERA and the shortened 2020 campaign with a 5.40 ERA. He was better last year with a 4.08 ERA, 1.37 WHIP and 98 strikeouts in 114.2 innings, but he also isn't striking fear in the hearts of lineups like he once did.

The White Sox won't ask him to be an ace, though, and he could provide some much-needed innings while Lynn is sidelined.