Fantasy Baseball: Is Johnny Cueto Still An Ace In Kansas City?

The Kansas City Royals one-upped the Houston Astros with the news on Sunday that they traded for Cincinnati Reds ace Johnny Cueto. Cueto is the first major domino to fall after the Scott Kazmir trade on Thursday.

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The Royals were sorely lacking an ace after losing James Shields in free agency over the winter. Cueto will fill that hole, but is he still an ace for fantasy purposes? That is what every Cueto owner wants to know.

This trade is obviously a disaster for those of you in NL-only leagues. Hopefully you were shopping Cueto for equal value when his name first came up in trade rumors. Those of you in AL-only leagues are going to be rewarded nicely for hanging on to your number one waiver claim. He is going to be better than anyone else that comes into the AL, even if Cole Hamels is moved to an AL team.

Cueto’s 2.62 ERA and 0.93 WHIP on the season are certainly the numbers of an ace. All of this while pitching in one of the most hitter friendly parks in the National League. The interesting thing about that is Cueto had a 1.86 ERA at home!

The thing that is a slight cause for alarm is that Cueto has a 3.86 ERA against the American League this year in 32.2 innings pitched. All of those are against AL Central opponents.

The Royals gave up quite a bit to get what it likely a rental for them. Cueto is only under contract until the end of the season, and the Royals likely can’t match the cash offers that teams like the Yankees with throw at him. Here is the full rundown of the deal:

The Reds also threw in some cash to help pay Cueto’s contract.

Bramdon Finnegan was regarded as one of the best prospects in the Royals system. He was the 17th pick of the 2014 draft, and made his major league debut last September. Finnegan has had 21 appearances in the major leagues, all in relief. He has compiled a 3-1 record with a 2.59 ERA and 31 strikeouts in 31.1 innings pitched. He projects primarily as a starter. He started 7 of his 11 appearances in the minor leagues this season, compiling a 5.00 ERA. His struggles came primariy at AAA Omaha, where he had a 7.07 ERA.

Most scouts agree that his ERA in the hitter friendly Pacific Coast League is nothing to worry about. Apparently the Reds agree.

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John Lamb and Cody Reed are hardly throw ins. Lamb was the Royals fifth round pick in 2008 out of high school. He was 9-1 with a 2.67 ERA this season with Omaha. He could be Cincinnati’s choice to replace Cueto in the starting rotation. If he is, Lamb is worth a prospective pickup in leagues of 12 or more teams. He averages right around a strikeout per inning, and should find the NL Central about the same as the brutal PCL.

Reed was the Royals second round pick in the 2013 draft, and was pitching at AA Northwest Arkansas this year after a blistering start for High-A Wilmington. Reed was 2-2 with a 3.45 ERA at AA. He will likely stay at the same level in the Reds’ system, and likely won’t be a factor in the major leagues for at least another year. Finnegan and Lamb could contribute for the Reds immediately.

Cueto’s ERA could be in for a bit of a rise in the American League, but it shouldn’t be enough to alarm fantasy owners. He will still put up strikeout numbers that are elite, and he should have a better chance for wins with the Royals. Anything you lose in ERA should be made up in wins. His value likely won’t be any more or less than it currently is.

That said, Finnegan and Lamb are worth keeping an eye on. One or both could be factors in deeper leagues by September or before. They may even be streaming options in standard leagues with favorable matchups. Make sure you keep track of how the Reds use them.

Stay tuned to FantasyCPR for analysis of all of the deadline deals, and what they mean for your fantasy teams.

Next: Fantasy Impact Of The Scott Kazmir Trade

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