CLEVELAND
In the middle of the third inning on Sunday, a roar resounded through Kauffman Stadium. The players inside the Royals dugout craned their necks toward the center-field scoreboard, trained by instinct to search for the source of random applause and braced by rumors buzzing through social media before the game.
The scoreboard relayed the news: Johnny Cueto was coming to Kansas City. The consummation of the trade with Cincinnati inspired jubilation among his new teammates.
"It’s good time to be a Kansas City Royal," first baseman Eric Hosmer said a day later. Added Lorenzo Cain, "When you can add a pitcher of that caliber to your team, it definitely brightens everybody’s mood.