Johnny Cueto (39), the former top ace who won 20 games in a season in the Major League, said he was offered to join the team by a Japanese professional baseball team.메이저놀이터

The World Baseball Network, which reports baseball news around the world, said on its social media account on the 3rd, "Cueto said he received an offer from a Japanese professional team after the game against the Caribbean Series Japanese team (Japan Breeze), but not from the Mexican team."

As Cueto's remarks became known, it is expected that Cueto, a 17-year veteran of the Major League, may play in Japan in the twilight of his career. Japanese media outlet Kokoka said on the 4th, "It is not difficult to imagine that a pitcher who won 20 games in the Major League in 2014 will be a lot of talk if he comes to a Japanese club," but added, "However, it is unclear whether a club will recruit a big foreign player at a stage where the camp has already begun."

Cueto is a top-rated pitcher who dominated the Major League as an ace in the 2010s. He made his big league debut with the Cincinnati Reds in 2008 and played for 17 seasons until he was released by the Los Angeles Angels last year, recording 144 wins (113 losses) with an ERA of 3.52. Notably, he set a career-best record with 20 wins and an ERA of 2.25 with the Cincinnati Reds in 2014.

As a free agent after being released by the Angels during last season, he is currently playing for the Dominican Republic in the Caribbean Series. He started the game against the Japanese team on Tuesday and pitched six innings, allowing four hits and one run, making his team's solid performance. Japan, which will participate in this Caribbean Series for the first time, is a team that combines players who played in the independent league and past professional baseball.

"If you look at Johnny's pitch, it will be a blessing for a team that wants to give him a chance anywhere in the U.S., Japan, Mexico," said Albert Pujols, a longtime slugger at the helm of the Dominican Republic.

Cueto, who left the Angels with two losses and a 7.15 ERA last year, pitched in 13 games and posted 5-1 record with a 4.76 ERA. However, he pitched 15 innings in three games in this Winter League, showing stable pitching with a 1.80 ERA. Attention is focusing on whether the ace pitcher who dominated the Major League will be able to take on a new challenge in Japan this season.