Diamondbacks have made Johnny Cueto an offer

However the 2015 campaign marked a down year for Cueto, particularly in his last several starts of the regular season for Kansas City. He has a career 3.30 ERA.

Arizona general manager Dave Stewart traveled to meet with Cueto in the Dominican Republic, where Cueto turned down the offer over the past week.

The Diamondbacks are not out of the running for Cueto, but with the price tag potentially being higher than initially thought, Arizona may have to lose out on a substantial starting pitching again, as an offer made to Masahiro Tanka prior to the 2014 season was also rejected.

Sources: #DBacks met last week with Cueto’s agent, Bryce Dixon.

Even with right-hander Jordan Zimmermann coming off the board on Sunday, reportedly agreeing to terms with the Detroit Tigers on a five-year, $110 million contract, Stewart said he could understand the patience of Cueto’s camp.

Though they’ve been saying all offseason they wouldn’t be able to afford the top tier of free-agent pitchers, that hasn’t stopped the Diamondbacks from pursuing one of them. However, Rosenthal notes that Cueto’s price tag is expected to exceed the Diamondbacks’ comfort level.

Arizona needs starting pitching and was bold in targeting Cueto and putting forth a strong offer.

However, he made all of his starts throughout the Royals’ run to a World Series victory and still is maintaining heavy interest from a number of suitors this winter.

The 29-year-old had a very up and down season with the Cincinnati Reds and Kansas City Royals, finishing the year with an 11-13 record and a 3.44 ERA.