The Chicago White Sox might not be able to keep Johnny Cueto past 2022.
The Chicago White Sox really needed a new starting pitcher once Carlos Rodon left. They should have brought him back but they came in with Dallas Keuchel, Dylan Cease, Lucas Giolito, Lance Lynn, Vince Velasquez, and Michael Kopech instead.
Keuchel was DFA’d because he was so bad and Velasquez wasn’t good enough to stay in the rotation. To replace these guys, Rick Hahn took a flier on Johnny Cueto. He ended up proving his worth in AAA and got the call to the White Sox relatively early in the season.
Since then, he has been better than pretty much every option available on the free agent market has been for their new teams. In fact, only Dylan Cease has been better on the entire White Sox staff. To say that Cueto has been a miracle for the White Sox would be an understatement.
Now, where does Cueto go after this magical season? Well, he could stay with the White Sox which would be nice to see but there is some risk in that. It is hard to see him repeating this year in 2023 but you just never know.
Unfortunately, it is likely that 2022 will be the only year for him in a White Sox uniform. No matter what, he will always be remembered fondly in town.