Kansas City Royals acquire Johnny Cueto from Reds

It took longer than they had expected, but the Kansas City Royals got their man.

The Royals announced Sunday afternoon that they’ve acquired starting pitcher Johnny Cueto from the Cincinatti Reds in exchange for pitchers Brandon Finnegan, John Lamb and Cody Reed. The deal comes less than a day after a previous deal fell through due to health concerns over an unidentified Royals player.

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Cueto instantly jumps to the top of a Royals rotation that has thinned out this year with the struggles of Yordano Ventura and injury to Jason Vargas. The additional struggles of Jeremy Guthrie made it that much more imperative that Kansas City add pitching.

In 19 starts this season, Cueto has gone 7-6 with a 2.62 ERA in 130.2 innings. The 29-year-old’s ability to pitch deep into ballgames will also help spare a Kansas City bullpen that has been overworked lately with starters struggling to consistently pitch into the seven and eighth innings.

Despite injury concerns that flared up when Cueto missed a start on May 24, he’s been one of baseball’s most consistent pitchers over the last five years. He’s posted a sub-3.00 ERA every season since 2011, and is on pace to do so once again in 2015. He led the National League in innings (243.2) and strikes (242) a season ago, and instantly makes the Royals rotation significantly better.

As for the Reds, they acquire three quality arms in Finnegan, Lamb and Reed. Finnegan, who has bounced around from being used as a reliever in the big leagues and a starter in the minors, will likely benefit from having a more established role in the Reds’ system. He’s posted a 2.59 ERA in 21 career big-league appearances, but struggled to a 7.07 ERA in six appearances (four starts) at AAA Omaha this season. The TCU product entered 2015 as Baseball America’s #55 prospect.

Lamb, 25, has seen his prospect status take a hit over the years as he dealt with injuries, but has thrived to a 9-1 record with a 2.67 ERA in 17 starts with Omaha this year. The Reds will hope he can continue that success as he makes the move, as Lamb finally appears ready to contribute at the big-league level if he can stay healthy.

Reed was a second-round pick by the Royals in 2013, and has had some success in five starts at AA Northwest Arkansas. He remains the biggest unknown of the group, but the Reds walk away with three quality pitching prospects nonetheless.

Cueto will likely make his Royals debut on Thursday against the Blue Jays in Toronto.