In a tight, crowded American League field, teams need to find a way to separate themselves from the pack and become the clear front-runner. Sometimes that means acquiring a big bat or it could mean paying up to acquire an ace.
That's exactly what the Kansas City Royals did with the acquisition of Johnny Cueto.
The rebuilding Cincinnati Reds (43-52) have shipped off their ace, an impending free agent, to the Kansas City Royals, first reported by FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal.
This is certainly the biggest move so far in the days leading up to the trade deadline, coming just days after the Houston Astros acquired Scott Kazmir. Like Kazmir, Cueto cannot receive a qualifying offer and as a result his new team can not receive compensation if he leaves in free agency.
Kansas City was desperate for an ace at the front of their rotation. 24-year-old Yordano Ventura, Kansas City's Opening Day starter, was demoted to Triple-A after registering a 5.04 ERA and 1.32 WHIP in 14 starts. But just hours after sending down Ventura, veteran Jason Vargas tore his ulnar collateral ligament and will undergo Tommy John Surgery, ruling him out for the next year-plus.
The 29-year-old Cueto is coming off eight shutout innings at Coors Field and now has a 2.62 ERA, 0.93 WHIP and an outstanding 120/29 K/BB ratio. He joins the Royals in the midst of another outstanding season for the team, sitting first in the American League with a four game lead over the New York Yankees for first and a six-game AL Central leading lead over the Twins.
Cincinnati knew Cueto would not return as a free agent this offseason as failed contract talks showed he was out of its price range. So instead of letting him walk and just receiving a supplemental draft pick in return, Cincinnati receives prospects Brandon Finnegan, John Lamb and Cody Reed.
Finnegan's a left-handed pitcher who was selected with the 17th overall pick in the 2014 Amateur Draft. He has quickly risen up the ranks, becoming one of the few draft picks to make it to the majors in the same season he was drafted. Finnegan appeared in seven games last season and 14 this year, serving as a reliever in each appearance and registering a 2.59 ERA in 31 1/3 innings. He spent most of his time in the minors as a starting pitcher, which the Reds will attempt to do as well.
The 25-year-old Lamb had Tommy John surgery in 2011, missing almost two seasons in 2011 and 2012. He returned in 2013, spending time in High-A and Triple-A but struggled. In 2014, he registered a 3.97 ERA for the Omaha Storm Chasers, but allowed 19 home runs in 138 1/3 innings. The lefty showed significant improvement this year through 17 starts, holding a 2.67 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 96/29 K/BB ratio. Reed, also a lefty, was a second-round pick in 2013. He had a 2.14 ERA in 13 appearances (10 starts) at High-A and holds a 3.45 ERA in five starts at Double-A.
Fantasy Impact
For Cueto, he goes from a stadium in Cincinnati that allowed 1.415 home runs per game to Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, which has the third lowest rate with 0.716 home runs per game. While Cueto's 37 fly ball percentage and 0.76 HR per nine innings didn't largely inflate his numbers at Great American Ballpark, the more pitcher-friendly Kauffman Stadium should give him a little more breathing room on fly balls. He will lose the advantage of facing the pitcher's spot from the National League and now having to face a designated hitter, but his fantasy ace status remains the same.