With an eye toward repeating last season’s World Series run, the Royals on Sunday bolstered their rotation by acquiring ace Johnny Cueto from the Cincinnati Reds.
Reports circulated Saturday night that a deal to acquire Cueto for prospects fell through when one of the prospects wasn’t cleared medically, but the Royals announced a deal that returned three left-handed minor-league pitchers — Brandon Finnegan, John Lamb and Cody Reed — to the Reds during the third inning of the series finale with the Houston Astros on Sunday at Kauffman Stadium.
Cueto, 29, a 5-foot-11 right-hander from the Dominican Republic, is 7-6 with a 2.