Royals acquire RHP Johnny Cueto from Cincinnati for three pitchers

KANSAS CITY, MO - The Kansas City Royals announced today that they have acquired right-handed pitcher Johnny Cueto and cash considerations from the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for left-handed pitchers Brandon Finnegan, John Lamb and Cody Reed.

Cueto, 29, has gone 7-6 with a 2.62 ERA in 19 starts for the Reds this season. He ranks eighth in the National League in innings pitched (130.2), ninth in ERA, fourth in opponents' batting average (.196), fourth in WHIP (0.98) and is tied for 12th in strikeouts (120). He earned his seventh victory of the season last night, tossing 8.0 shutout innings at Coors Field in Cincinnati's 5-2 win over the Colorado Rockies.

Since the start of 2011, Cueto's 2.51 ERA in second-lowest among Major League pitchers, trailing only Clayton Kershaw's 2.16 mark, while his 3.21 career ERA is sixth-lowest among all active pitchers that have worked at least 1,000 innings.

He had a tremendous 2014 season, finishing second in the National League Cy Young Award voting and was also 12th in voting for the league's Most Valuable Player. He became the first Reds pitcher to record 20 wins in a season since Danny Jackson in 1988, while he was just the sixth Dominican-born hurler to win 20 or more in a single season. He went 20-9 with a 2.25 ERA with 242 strikeouts in 243.2 innings in 2014, leading the Senior Circuit in starts (34), innings pitched, opponents' batting average (.194) and tied for the league-lead in ERA.

Cueto is in his eighth big league season and has a 92-63 career record with a 3.21 ERA. He's posted a 14-6 record and a 2.68 career ERA in 28 starts against American League clubs, including an 8-2 mark and a 2.98 ERA vs. A.L. Central foes.

After the move, the Royals' Major League roster is at 39. A 25-man roster move will be made tomorrow when Cueto reports to the club.