Former White Sox pitcher Johnny Cueto signs with Miami Marlins

Insert the lame lead about a professional athlete taking his talents to South Beach here. Former White Sox pitcher Johnny Cueto has agreed to a one-year contract with the Miami Marlins.

Cueto, who turns 37 years old next month, will earn $6 million in 2023. The deal includes a $10.5 million club option for 2024, with a $2.5 million buyout. So, that means the veteran right-hander is guaranteed $8.5 million in this contract.

Quick reaction: Couldn't the White Sox have afforded that? Cueto was one of the pleasant surprises of the 2022 season. His 8-10 record was unspectacular, but his 3.35 ERA over 25 games (24 starts and one emergency bullpen appearance) and 158.1 innings was impressive.

Cueto is certainly a regression candidate, especially at his age. Before last year, he hadn't topped 150 innings since his last All-Star campaign in 2016, and you have to wonder if his style of pitching to contact will blow up on him moving forward. He struck out only 5.8 batters per nine innings in 2022.

Earlier this offseason, the Sox signed Mike Clevinger, who essentially takes Cueto's place in the rotation. Clevinger tossed only 114.1 innings with San Diego last season, and only once during his six-year career has he topped 126 innings. So, he's not guaranteed to replace Cueto's workload.

And the Sox paid Clevinger a guaranteed $12 million. The 32-year-old right-hander will earn $8 million in 2023. There's a $12 million mutual option for 2024, with a $4 million buyout. 

It's almost a guarantee that mutual option will get declined. If Clevinger pitches well, he'll opt out and seek a long-term deal in free agency. If Clevinger pitches poorly, the Sox will let him go. It's hard to see a scenario where the two sides would agree on a one-year arrangement for 2024.

However, the moral of this story is Clevinger will cost more than Cueto, and it's hard to say one way or the other whether the Sox improved their rotation by signing Clevinger and letting Cueto walk.

Clevinger's production vs. Cueto's will be one of the subplots to the 2023 season.