Everyone saw it coming, and everyone was right. The Cincinnati Reds have traded right-handed ace pitcher Johnny Cueto.

Cueto lands with the Kansas City Royals, who are going all-in this year. Their superb record (60-38, the second-best in baseball behind the St. Louis Cardinals) and talented team make this a great year to go for all the marbles, and Cueto makes their starting rotation a good deal better.

Of course, the Royals had to pay through the nose to get him. For Cueto and some cash to help cover his salary, Kansas City swapped three young left-handed pitchers: Brandon Finnegan, John Lamb, and Cody Reed. So who are these young guns? Let’s get to know the three brand new Reds.

LHP Brandon Finnegan

Finnegan is just 22, but fans have seen him before. He was drafted in the first round by the Royals last year, and by the end of the year, they had already called him up to bolster their bullpen. This made Finnegan the first player from the 2014 draft to hit the Big Leagues.

Thanks to the Royals’ postseason run, Finnegan became the first player ever to play in the College World Series and the Big-League World Series in the same year. He also became the youngest Royals pitcher ever to record a Big-League win.

The trivia facts, however, do not do full justice to Finnegan’s effectiveness. Finnegan’s 95+ MPH fastball is his biggest weapon right now, and it gave opposing hitters fits last year in Finnegan’s work out of the bullpen. Finnegan does not have to stay in the bullpen, though; developing his second pitches could make him a very effective starter. Expect the Reds to tinker with him to see if a starting job is in the cards. Finnegan will head to the Reds’ Triple-A team in Louisville.

LHP John Lamb

The 25-year-old John Lamb will join Finnegan at Triple-A Louisville for now, but he could be the man to fill Cueto’s spot in the rotation. He had a 2.67 ERA at the Triple-A level in the Royals’ farm system, and replicating that in the Reds’ system for a start or two should be enough to get him called up.

Lamb’s ascension was slowed by his 2011 Tommy John surgery, but in an era with such high rates of that surgery, one could almost say that it is nice to have that out of the way. It is very rare to require Tommy John surgery twice.

Now 25, Lamb is reminding everyone why he was such a highly-touted prospect before the surgery. He may not have quite the upside of Finnegan, but he is ready to be a starter right now.

LHP Cody Reed

Cody Reed is the least-developed pitcher in the trade, but he also has some of the best upside. Pitching prospects are notoriously unpredictable. As the saying goes, “There’s no such thing as a pitching prospect,” but for this stage in his career, Reed looks exciting. He has managed to improve both his velocity and his control this season, according to reports, and he is developing a great slider.

Only time will tell if Reed’s trajectory continues, but if it does, he could end up being as good as Finnegan (who is the same age but has more fully realized his potential at this point) or perhaps the highlight of the whole trade. For now, though, Reed is headed for Double-A Pensacola. Expect it to be a year or two before we see him in the Big Leagues.

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