Kansas City Royals: Biggest Trades In Recent Years
Former Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Johnny Cueto – Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
July 26th, 2015: Royals trade for Johnny Cueto
The 2015 season was an exciting one for the Royals and their fans. They came up short (90 feet short to be exact) in the 2014 fall classic, but there was just an excitement in the air for what the 2015 season had in store.
The Royals went on to meet everyone’s expectations, as they dominated the American League Central all season long. The team was sitting at 52-34 at the All-Star break and were leading the division by four games.
Life was good, but there was one critical need for the team, and that was an ace in the rotation.
Ever since Shields departed in the off season, the Royals struggled to find an ace for their staff. Ventura had a rough season filled with drama and injuries, Duffy wasn’t panning out as planned, and while Edinson Volquez was doing spectacular, he wasn’t necessarily an ace.
Dayton Moore fixed that problem in on a Sunday morning in late July.
Not for a long time had this team made a trade this big at the trade deadline. Usually, the Royals were out of any type of playoff run and were trading away their big players to the contending teams of baseball.
Once the playoffs arrived, it was Cueto’s time to shine. He had two absolutely incredible performances during the postseason.
Not this time, though. This time, the Kansas City Royals were able to get Reds ace Johnny Cueto for three left-handed pitchers in Brandon Finnegan, John Lamb, and Cody Reed.
Cueto had his moments while a member of the KC Royals, that’s for sure. Aside from one dominant performance in which he pitched a complete game shutout in one of his first starts as a Royal, Cueto struggled through most of the regular season.
Once the playoffs arrived, it was Cueto’s time to shine. He had two absolutely incredible performances during the postseason. One of those was in Game 5 of the ALDS, and the other was Game 2 of the World Series.
Game 5 of the ALDS saw Cueto pitching eight innings of two-run ball, and Game 2 of the World Series saw him pitching a complete game and only allowing one run. Simply incredible.
Cueto signed a massive deal with the San Francisco Giants this off season. Good for him. It will be an even year after all…
Was trading for Johnny Cueto worth it?
Had the Royals not won the World Series, this trade would not have been worth it. The team traded away three young lefties for Cueto in hopes that they’d win it all. Cueto did hold a big part in getting the Royals that title though, and that’s why, yes… This trade was worth it.
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