MLB: 6 pitchers who disappointed new teams post-trade
By Tim Haberin
Johnny Cueto – Kansas City Royals
We don’t even have to go back a full year for the first example. Eager to return to the Fall Classic, the Kansas City Royals pulled the trigger on a deal with the Cincinnati Reds on July 26, 2015, that netted them star pitcher Johnny Cueto. The Royals achieved their goal in the end, of course, but they didn’t always see the performance quality they thought they would be getting from the ace right-hander.
Cueto was inconsistent at best during his tenure in Kansas City, posting a 4.76 ERA and 1.45 WHIP along with a 4-7 record in 13 regular season starts. That was a far cry from his numbers with the Reds just prior to the exchange: 2.62 ERA, 0.93 WHIP and 4.14 K/BB ratio in 19 outings.
The erratic results continued into the postseason, although Royals fans may feel that Cueto’s final bow in a KC uniform made the trade all worth it. In Game 2 of the World Series, Cueto twirled a complete game gem, limiting the Mets to one run on two hits and staking the Royals to a commanding 2-0 series lead.
Cueto is back to his dominant self with the Giants this season (2.16 ERA), but the Royals definitely won’t lose much sleep over the situation considering they ended up adding long-awaited hardware to the trophy cabinet. Still, they probably would have liked to see more stat lines worthy of a frontline, number-one starter.
Next: Thrown to the Shark(s)