Reds Ace Cueto Dealt to Kansas City
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Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images(CINCINNATI) — One of the biggest dominoes has fallen in the lead up to the Major League Baseball trading deadline as the Cincinnati Reds and Kansas City Royals announced a deal Sunday that sent ace Johnny Cueto to the defending American League champions.
Cueto, 29, was considered one of the top pitchers available this month. Word came out on Saturday that a deal to the Royals was nearly completed before one of the players involved had a medical issue that halted the trade.
Still, on Sunday, the two teams came to an agreement and the deal was made official. The Royals acquire three left-handed pitchers in the move, Brandon Finnegan, John Lamb and Cody Reed.
Finnegan factored in for the Royals in the postseason last year, but had been pitching in Triple-A for Kansas City.
Cueto finished second in last year’s National League Cy Young Award voting.
In eight seasons, Cueto has won 92 games in Cincinnati.
For the Royals, who made the postseason for the first time in nearly 30 years last season, acquiring Cueto is a sign that they hope to capitalize on their chance to win big this year. They currently stand 6.5 games ahead of the Minnesota Twins in the American League Central and hold the best record in the American League.
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