PHOENIX — Johnny Cueto has rejected a six-year, $120 million offer from the Arizona Diamondbacks, a person with knowledge of the situation said Monday.
Arizona wants a front-line starter and would have made the right-hander by far the highest-paid player in the organization.
The Diamondbacks met with Cueto and his representative last week, according to the person, who asked not to be identified because the offer had not been made public.
The 29-year-old right-hander was acquired by Kansas City in a midseason trade with Cincinnati this year. He went a combined 11-13 with 3.44 ERA.
He struggled during the regular season after the trade, going 4-7 with a 4.76 ERA but was 2-1 in the post-season. Cueto became the first American League pitcher since 1991 to throw a complete World Series game, a two-hitter against the New York Mets in Game 2, when he retired 16 of the last 17 batters he faced.
In 2013, Cueto went 20-9 with the Reds, leading the National League in strikeouts (242), starts (34) and innings pitched.
The rejection of the offer first was reported by mlb.com.
