MLB Trade Retrospective, July 26, 2015: Johnny Cueto to the Royals
The Three Young Pitchers with the Reds
The Reds’ half of this trade was simple: they were trading away two months of their top starting pitcher for three young pitchers who could help them in the future. It was a classic veteran-for-prospects deal. They were going nowhere in 2015 and needed to begin the rebuilding process. They could have kept Cueto and likely picked up a compensation pick, but they felt the talent offered by the Royals would be more beneficial.
At the time of the trade, Brandon Finnegan had just 31.1 major league innings under his belt. He had pitched exclusively in relief for the Royals, but the Reds acquired him with the idea of moving him into the starting rotation. He started four of six games after being acquired and had a 4.18 ERA (4.87 FIP), 1.23 WHIP and 9.1 K/9. His performance was strong enough that he looked like he would be an effective member of the team’s 2016 starting rotation.
John Lamb came to the Reds with a long history of professional experience, but no innings in the big leagues. He was a 5th round draft pick in 2008 by the Royals and moved up through their minor league system in 2009 and 2010. Prior to the 2011 season, Lamb was rated the #18 prospect in baseball by Baseball America and #11 by Baseball Prospectus. That would be as high as he would reach on the prospect lists because of injuries and ineffectiveness, which began in 2011 with Tommy John surgery. He pitched 35 innings in 2011 and 13 innings in 2012.
Lamb got back on the mound for 108.2 innings in 2013, but combined for a 5.80 ERA across three levels of the minor leagues. He was better in 2014, putting up a 3.97 ERA at the AAA level for the Royals. Prior to this trade in 2015, Lamb had a 2.67 ERA for the AAA Omaha Storm Chasers.
After this trade, Lamb made three good starts in AAA Louisville, then came up to pitch for the Reds. He started 10 games and had a 5.80 ERA (4.16 FIP), 1.55 WHIP and 10.5 K/9. The surface stats were ugly, but the underlying peripherals were good. Lamb had a strong strikeout rate and solid walk rate. His BABIP was a crazy-high .376 and he allowed too many home runs. The Reds had high hopes for Lamb heading into 2016.
Cody Reed came over to the Reds and was sent to the AA Pensacola Blue Wahoos. He was 6-2 with a 2.17 ERA (2.24 FIP), 1.11 WHIP and 10.9 K/9. Prior to this season, he was ranked #34 by Baseball America on their Top 100 Prospects List and ranked #47 by Baseball Prospectus. He was considered by both organizations to be the Reds’ #2 prospect, behind right-handed starting pitcher Robert Stephenson.
Next: Where Are They Now?