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The Royals and Reds had a trade in place that would send Johnny Cueto to Kansas City last night, reports Jon Morosi and Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. However, the deal fell through at the last minute.
Rosenthal notes that a player going from the Royals to the Reds did not check out medically, causing the entire deal to fall apart as it was being finalized. According toChris Cotillo of SB Nation's MLB Daily Dish, the Reds warmed up Michael Lorenzen to pitch before the game in case a Cueto trade was finalized. Cotillo also reported that Lorenzen was warming up as "insurance," as Reds players were not told Cueto was being moved. "I was warming up and he was there in the bullpen and I told him, 'What are you doing here?' He told me, 'I'm going to pitch because you're going to get traded.' That happened 10 minutes before the game," Cueto said through translator Tomas Vera (via MLB.com's Mark Sheldon). Cueto then went to pitch and threw eight shutout innings against the Colorado Rockies. The Royals and Reds "continue to work" on the deal despite the hiccup, reports Jim Bowden of ESPN. --Devan Fink
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Here are thetwo latest news bits from Jon Morosi of FOX Sports:
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The Kansas City Royals, Toronto Blue Jays, and Houston Astros have been "most aggressive" in pursuit of Cincinnati Reds' starting pitcher Johnny Cueto, reports Bob Nightengale of USA Today.
Cueto is expected to be in hot pursuit over the next few weeks as the non-waiver trade deadline approaches. An impending free agent this offseason, the Reds will likely want to move him and take what they can get in return. All three teams that have shown that aggressiveness do need some starting pitching upgrades. Outside of Edinson Volquez and Chris Young, all the Royals starting pitchers this season have ERAs over 4.50. Granted, in terms of FIP, they have been better to an extent. However, a rotation of Volquez (3.31 ERA; 3.79 FIP), Young (3.00 ERA; 4.11 FIP), Yordano Ventura (4.73 ERA; 3.89 FIP), Jeremy Guthrie (5.36 ERA; 4.80 FIP), and Danny Duffy (4.65 ERA; 4.46 FIP) likely won't do the trick down the stretch. The Astros have two really good starters in Dallas Keuchel and Lance McCullers, and a solid option in Collin McHugh, but other than that, their rotation could use some help. The team has been connected to many starting pitching options, including Jeff Samardzija and Cole Hamels. Toronto is another team that is in desperate need of rotation help. As good as their offense is, their pitching staff is as bad. The Jays have scored the most runs in the American League, while their 4.18 team ERA ranks 12th. They could use a guy like Cueto to help make them a more complete team down the road. On the season, Cueto is 6-6 with a 2.73 ERA (3.06 FIP) in 17 starts. Over his 118 2/3 innings pitched, Cueto has a 113 to 22 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Last season, he led the NL in strikeouts and finished second in the Cy Young award voting. --Devan Fink ![]()
The Cincinnati Reds have signed fourth round pick outfielder Miles Gordon on Monday, a source close to the situation told Cover Those Bases.
Gordon's bonus is $475,000, which is below the $493,400 slot value for the 115th overall selection. The 18-year-old Gordon was drafted out of Canada. He was committed to the University of San Fransisco and was ranked as the 187th-best player in the draft (Baseball America) and fourth among Canadian players. Here's the scouting report from Baseball America (via Canadian Baseball Network): The left-handed hitting outfielder has a short stroke geared for line drives, and has the ability to punch the ball into the gaps with backspin. He flashes above-average bat speed and scouts project him to develop below-average power, as he already shows some ability to drive the ball deep to his pull side.
--Devan Fink
The Kansas City Royals have made trade inquires on a trio of players, including Oakland Athletics' infielder Ben Zobrist and Cincinnati Reds' pitchers Johnny Cueto and Mike Leake, Jon Morosi of FOX Sports reports.
Due to the All-Star Game in Cincinnati, the Reds have been reluctant to make a move on dealing some of their top trade targets and likely will not move Cueto, Leake, and others until after the festivities in early July. The Royals have obvious needs in the rotation, with Yordano Ventura, Jason Vargas, and Danny Duffy all on the 15-day disabled list, and with Jeremy Guthrie pitching to a 5.55 ERA. The Royals are resorted to using Joe Blanton on the mound as a starter. Leake, or even Cueto, would make the Royals that much better. Zobrist, on the other hand, seems available to any team that is willing to pay the price. Many teams have shown interest in the utility man, as he can play all around the diamond, fitting needs for many different organizations. For Kansas City, he would be an upgrade at second base, where Omar Infante is currently situated and hitting a dismal .230/.237/.311. On the season, Zobrist is hitting .243/.325/.434/.758 in 154 plate appearances. Cueto is pitching to a 4-4 record with a 2.98 ERA in 90.2 innings, but is dealing with an elbow injury and has health issues overall. And Leake is pitching to a 4-4 record with a 4.01 ERA in 89.2 innings this season. --Devan Fink |
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