Texas Rangers agree to minor league deal with two-time All-Star Johnny Cueto

ARLINGTON — The search for pitching depth never ends.

On Tuesday, the Texas Rangers agreed to a minor league deal with two-time All-Star Johnny Cueto.

Cueto, 38, last pitched for the Miami Marlins in 2023. His season was disrupted by an arm injury in his first start that forced him to miss three months. Cueto ended the year 1-4 with a 6.02 ERA in 13 appearances (10 starts). While Cueto tries to work his way back to the majors, he potentially gives the Rangers an insurance policy, but also helps address a shortage of innings at Triple-A due to injuries, rehab assignments and call-ups.

The Rangers re-signed former supplemental first-round draft Collin Wiles and veteran Shaun Anderson to help beef up the Round Rock rotation.

Rangers manager Bruce Bochy and general manager Chris Young are familiar with Cueto. He was Young’s teammate for part of the 2015 season with Kansas City. He then pitched three years for Bochy in San Francisco.

The Rangers are hoping to start getting reinforcements for the starting rotation, perhaps before mid-May, but extra depth doesn’t hurt. And the allure of landing with a team with a chance to compete for a playoff run is likely attractive to Cueto.

Cueto did not spend spring training with a major league club, so he will initially go to the team’s spring training site in Surprise, Ariz.

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