The Kansas City Royals have acquired ace right-hander Johnny Cueto from the Cincinnati Reds, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reported on Sunday morning.
Details of the trade were not immediately available.
The clubs were close to a deal on Saturday night, but it fell through due to medical issues with one of the players involved, according to Rosenthal.
Cueto took the mound for the Reds Saturday in Colorado and dominated, tossing eight scoreless innings in a 5-2 win over the Rockies. Several reports said he learned of the alleged trade before his start, in which he allowed just four hits, walking one and striking out five.
The start certainly quelled concerns about the 29-year-old, who’d struggled in his prior two outings.
Cueto is set to become a free agent at the end of the season and has been at the centre of trade rumours that intensified as the Reds dropped in the competitive National League Central. He reportedly drew interest from the Blue Jays and Dodgers among other teams.
The Dominican native, currently in his eighth big-league season, is 7-6 with a 2.62 ERA and 0.934 WHIP over 19 starts this year.
The Royals, owners of the best record in the American League, bolster a starting rotation that took a hit this week when it lost left-hander Jason Vargas to a season-ending elbow injury.
