The Giants aren't concerned about Johnny Cueto's elbow

Committing $130 million to a pitcher with some concern about his elbow might not be the most prudent decision, but the San Francisco Giants assure that's not the case with new signee Johnny Cueto.

Cueto, who just inked a six-year, $130-million deal with the Giants, raised concern this past season while with the Cincinnati Reds after missing a start due to a flexor tendon strain.

The Dominican right-hander pitched through the remainder of the season, eventually winning the World Series with the Kansas City Royals, but as he entered free agency, teams wanted to know more about the status of his elbow.

As he wore a Giants jersey for the first time during his introductory press conference on Thursday, the Giants assured that there are no present concerns regarding Cueto's elbow.

"His elbow looks great," general manager Bobby Evans said at Cueto's introductory press conference of an MRI that was taken Thursday. "It really looked good."

While San Francisco expressed confidence in the state of Cueto's elbow, they were also confident that former left-hander Barry Zito's health concerns wouldn't be an issue when they signed him to a seven-year, $126-million contract in 2007.

Zito suffered major attrition and grappled with injuries while with the Giants and never lived up to the expectations set by his hefty contract.

Nonetheless, the Giants remain optimistic about Cueto's forthcoming impact on the team.

"It really addresses an area we really struggled in last year," Evans said of the deal. "That's what gives me a lot of hope. It's an area of weakness we faced most of last year, getting starting pitchers to compete day in and day out."