The Kansas City Royals acquired outfielder Jonny Gomes from the Atlanta Braves, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reported.
The Braves sent cash along with Gomes and received minor league infielder Luis Valenzuela to complete the deal, Jon Heyman of CBS Sports reported. Gomes is well-respected as a good clubhouse veteran and an extremely good hitter against left-handed pitching. As the Royals are almost all but American League Central champions, Gomes is surely a move for the postseason, as he is a player who could be a valuable addition both on- and off-the-field. One other benefit to acquiring Gomes is that he comes with postseason experience. While the Royals, fresh off their AL Championship run, do have that, Gomes is a World Series champion (2013 Red Sox) and has played in the postseason in four different years. The 34-year-old Gomes is hitting just .223/.327/.368 (93 OPS+) this year, but he is hitting for an .878 OPS against left-handers. Gomes was signed to a one-year, $4 million deal this offseason with a vesting option for 2016. The Royals are continuing to put finishing touches on their roster for the rest of the season and into the postseason and Gomes represents a possible addition that could go a long way, even if it isn't on the stat sheet. --Devan Fink
0 Comments
The Kansas City Royals have acquired Johnny Cueto from the Cincinnati Reds on Sunday, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. The teams have since announced the deal.
According to Marly Rivera of ESPN Deportes, left-hander Brandon Finnegan is "likely" going to the Reds. Along with Finnegan is lefty John Lamb, who Jon Morosi of FOX Sports reported that is also heading to Cincinnati. Both players were included as going to the Reds in the announcement of the trade, along with a third lefty, Cody Reed. This deal was struck just hours after the teamsreportedly had a deal finalized before a medical issue caused the deal to fall apart. The Royals had long since been a suitor for Cueto and had shown interest throughout his time on the market. The Royals have had issues with their rotation even before Jason Vargas tore his UCL. Cueto gives them a true ace and likely gives the team a legitimate chance of repeating as AL Champions. They are currently 59-38 and lead the AL Central by 7 1/2 games. Cueto is likely going to be the most talented pitcher to change hands before the trade deadline (though that could change with David Price in the coming week). He finished second in the NL Cy Young award voting last season and has similar success in 2015. One thing about Cueto is that he comes with little postseason experience. He's made just three starts in the playoffs over his eight year career, allowing six runs (five earned) in 8 2/3 innings pitched. Cueto's inexperience could play a role during this October, as he is the Royals' obvious No. 1 starter and will be counted on to lead them to a victory. The 29-year-old Cueto is 7-6 with a 2.62 ERA (3.12 FIP) in 19 starts this season. He has a 120 to 29 strikeout-to-walk ratio over 130 2/3 innings pitched. He has a career 3.21 ERA and 3.80 FIP. When pitching against American League opponents, he is 14-6 with a 2.80 ERA in 178 innings pitched (28 starts). "Cueto will be forever grateful to the Reds organization and the Cincinnati fans," agent Bryce Dixon told Chris Cotillo of SB Nation's MLB Daily Dish. "He is excited to be on the Royals and can't wait to join the team." The Reds do get a fair return for the All-Star pitcher, getting a guy who has MLB experience after being just a year removed from being drafted in Finnegan, a Major League ready arm in Lamb, and a wild card prospect in the Double-A starter Reed. --Devan Fink
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
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 New York Yankees, Toronto Blue Jays, Houston Astros, Kansas City Royals, and Los Angeles Dodgers have all called on Cincinnati Reds right-hander Johnny Cueto, reports Jim Bowden of ESPN on MLB Network Radio.
Joel Sherman of the New York Post reported that the Baltimore Orioles, Blue Jays, and Yankees all had scouts to watch Cueto's start yesterday in Washington. "The price will be high" for Cueto, according to Bowden. Cueto is likely the best or second-best pitcher on the trade market, as he has been absolutely brilliant this season. However, with the Reds not contending and Cueto being a free agent at the end of the year, a move seems inevitable. However, a move for Cueto probably will not happen until after the Reds host the All-Star Game. The team reportedly does not want to move any of their trade chips until after the break has passed, meaning Cueto's suitors will have to wait. The 29-year-old Cueto is in the last season of a five-year, $36.2 million extension and will hit the open market at the end of the year, making him a three-month rental to any team that acquires him. He has gone 6-5 with a 2.61 ERA (3.07 FIP) and a 111 to 21 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 113 2/3 innings this year (16 starts). --Devan Fink |
Categories
All
Archives
February 2017
|