The Kansas City Royals' trade for Cincinnati Reds RHP Johnny Cueto is official, per a tweet from the Royals' official Twitter account:
The #Royals have acquired RHP Johnny Cueto from Cincinnati as well as cash considerations for LHPs Brandon Finnegan, John Lamb and Cody Reed
— Royals (@Royals) July 26, 2015
Brandon Finnegan is the lynchpin of the Cincinnati Reds' return -- a 22-year-old lefty with major upside who is following a electric run in the 2014 postseason during his rookie year with a 2.96 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 21 strikeouts in 24.1 innings pitched. While control has been an issue for him so far in 2015 (13 walks), he still stands as a banner acquisition for the Reds with two years of team control and three arbitration years left on his current deal.
To round out the deal, Cincinnati picks up former Royals top pitching prospect John Lamb who lost most of the 2011 and 2012 seasons due to Tommy John surgery and 20-year-old Cody Reed who was Kansas City's 2nd round pick (#46 overall) and sports mid-90s velocity on his fastball.
Cueto, 29, is 7-6 on the season with a 2.62 ERA, 0.93 WHIP and 120 strikeouts in 130.2 innings pitched. He finished 2nd in the NL Cy Young Award voting last season to Los Angeles Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw.
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