Report: Reds-Royals deal for Cueto fell through after medical issue with player involved
Johnny Cueto was very close to packing his bags for Kansas City on Saturday night.
The Cincinnati Reds reportedly had a trade in place with the Royals, but it ultimately fell through because one of the players going from the Royals to the Reds in exchange for Cueto did not check out medically, according to FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal.
Cueto talked after Saturday's game about what happened minutes before he was to take the mound. He was warming up when he was joined by teammate Michael Lorenzen, who is scheduled to pitch Sunday, and they had a brief conversation.
Cueto said through his translator after the game:
I was warming up and (Lorenzen) 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.
I don't want to use a bad word in this location, but it was really bad how I found out what (happened). My head went around the whole way. My thoughts were all over the place. I didn't know what to do.
Confused, his head spinning, Cueto did what he does best: pitch. He went out and fired eight innings of shutout ball against the Colorado Rockies. He struck out five, walked one, and allowed only four hits in the Reds' 5-2 win. He improved to 7-6 on the season.
In Kansas City, meanwhile, the Royals have a need to revamp their rotation following news that lefty Jason Vargas will require season-ending Tommy John surgery, and as insurance should fireballer Yordano Ventura not be able to rekindle his magic from a year ago.
Some of the other clubs rumored to be interested in Cueto include the New York Yankees, Houston Astros, Boston Red Sox, and Toronto Blue Jays, among others.
Cueto, who owns a 2.62 ERA and 0.93 WHIP in 18 starts, also has three career postseason appearances under his belt.
"I'm telling you, (Saturday) he was on a mission," said Cueto's battery mate Brayan Pena. "I saw something in his eyes that I never saw before. He was ready. He was just waiting for something special to show and that's exactly what he did."
Cueto's a free agent at the end of the season, and he's all but resigned to the fact he's in his final days as a member of the Reds.
"Every time I come to the ballpark, I feel that way. I feel like this is the last time," he said. "My teammates feel the same away. Something is going to happen. They're going to trade me. I don't know what's going on."
Only a few more days of uncertainty, Mr. Cueto.