Reds trade Johnny Cueto to Royals for Brandon Finnegan, prospects

The Cincinnati Reds have traded pitcher Johnny Cueto to the Kansas City Royals.

The Cincinnati Reds have traded pitcher Johnny Cueto to the Kansas City Royals for lefthanders Brandon Finnegan, John Lamb, and Cody Reed, the Royals announced.

Fox Sports's Ken Rosenthal first reported the news of the deal. Yahoo's Jeff Passan confirmed the trade later Sunday. The other components of the deal were unknown until the official announcement.

Cueto, 29, is 7–6 with a 2.62 ERA, 0.93 WHIP and 120 strikeouts in 19 starts this season and made the All-Star team for the second straight year. 

Now in his eighth season, Cueto had spent his entire major-league career in the Reds organization, going 92–73 with a 3.21 ERA and 1.17 WHIP. He led the National League with 242 strikeouts last season and finished second in NL Cy Young voting.

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Finnegan, 22, has a 2.96 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 21 strikeouts in 24 1/3 innings out of the Kansas City bullpen this season and played a role for the team in relief during the 2014 playoffs. The Royals selected him with the No. 17 pick in the 2014 draft.

Lamb, 25, was a fifth-round selection in the 2008 draft. He held a 2.67 ERA and 1.15 WHIP in 17 starts for Triple A Omaha this season, with a 9–1 record and 96 strikeouts.

Reed, 22, was a second-round pick in 2013 and holds a 2.53 ERA and 1.18 WHIP with 84 strikeouts in 18 appearances, 15 of them starts, between Single and Double A this season.

– Jeremy Woo

Sports Illustrated's Baseball Hall of Fame Class of 2015 coverage

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