The Los Angeles Angels are suffering through the doldrums of a losing season and near-last place standing in the American League West. As such they have the opportunity to try something new and they did just that on Saturday as they decided to take a flier on former MLB strikeout king Johnny Cueto.

The news came during word of a pivotal Mike Trout next step in his injury recovery process. An Angels pitcher was dealt a concerning injury update.

Cueto is now 38 years of age. The Angels believe there may be a future for him, if he can rediscover more of the magic that made him one of the most intimidating pitchers in baseball for many years.

Cueto Added To Angels' System 

Cueto is headed to the Angels' minor leaguer system.
Miami Marlins starting pitcher Johnny Cueto (47) pitches against the Atlanta Braves during the first inning at loan Depot Park. © Rhona Wise-USA TODAY Sports

Cueto signed a minor league deal with the Angels' system according to a report from Jon Heyman on Twitter.

Cueto (full name Johnny Cueto Ortiz) last pitched for the Miami Marlins in 2023 during which he had a 6.02 ERA and went 1-4 during a shortened season with the ballclub.

Cueto had 39 strikeouts in 52.1 innings, not too far off of some of previous seasons in his early 30s and 20s. Fans sarcastically panned the Cueto signing saying it would have been great 20 years ago but it appears the Angels have a plan to bring him back up to speed.

Cueto's Best Season, Revisited 

The recent Angels minor league signee Cueto led the league in strikeouts back in 2014 when he recorded 242 of them in 243.2 innings pitched, tied for most in the National League with Stephen Srasburg. That season took place with the Cincinnati Reds and led to stints with the Royals, Giants, White Sox, and finally the Miami Marlins, whom he joined in 2023.

Cueto gave up only 169 hits and had a 20-9 record with a 2.25 ERA in 34 starts, 29 of which were quality starts.

It's unlikely that Cueto will reach these totals with Manager Ron Washington's Angels if he does reach the big leagues again, but pitchers like Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander have shown that stellar seasons are possible in a pitcher's late 30s and early 40s recently.

Cueto has time to work out the funk in his system but the Angels need help now. How well he focuses on the fundamentals of the game and doing the little things well could determine whether he ends up back in the Majors with Ron Washington's team or ends up on the outside looking in for the rest of his career.