Johnny Cueto, arguably the third biggest name on the pitching market, was traded to the Kansas City Royals early Sunday after a deal fell through Saturday night. The deal has a much farther reaching impact than just Cincinnati and Kansas City, however.
The first teams this impacts are the NL Central rivals of the Reds; the Chicago Cubs, Pittsburgh Pirates, and St. Louis Cardinals, as it could potentially save them each a game against Cueto. This gives them an advantage in the Wildcard race over teams like the Mets and the Giants, both buyers looking to win the Wildcard.
This also impacts Kansas City's division rivals; the Minnesota Twins and Detroit Tigers mostly, as Kansas City has quite the division lead, and with a consistent ace on the mound, the Royals seem like a lock to win their first division title of the decade. This hurts Minnesota's chances of winning the Wildcard, and with Cueto making as many as four starts against the Tigers, it effectively takes Detroit out of the race.
This also impacts the return for other pitchers on the market. The Reds received Brandon Finnegan, John Lamb and Cody Reed, all pitchers in the deal. Finnegan is a top young reliever, who could likely make an impact as early as this year for the Reds. John Lamb, a young lefty, has shown potential and Cody Reed at this point seems like a throw in, but could have an impact in the minors, and eventually the big leagues.
This shows that David Price and Cole Hamels will likely get huge returns. David Price could draw two or three top prospects that are 2016 Major League ready, while Hamels could get a pro player and 2-3 prospects that will be pro ready in coming years. While Kris Bryant, Joc Pederson and other top names might not be available, top prospects like Javier Baez and Julio Urias might be necessary to acquire one of the top names on the market.
Things should start moving faster as well. With Scott Kazmir and Cueto both off the market, things may move quickly from here on out. The Tigers will likely decide whether to buy or sell based on their game today against the Red Sox on Sunday Night Baseball. The Philadelphia Phillies have received good offers for Cole Hamels since his no hitter yesterday against the Chicago Cubs, and are discussing him with many teams. Michael Fiers is also being discussed, and could be shipped to the Toronto Blue Jays as early as today.
The trade deadline market is already on a hot stove, and it will continue to get hotter in the coming days with teams losing time to decide whether to buy or sell.