If there were any doubts that Johnny Cueto is one of the best pitchers in the National League, a deserving All-Star and one heck of a potential trade piece, the Cincinnati Reds right-hander silenced them on Tuesday night.
Squaring off against uber-ace Max Scherzer and the Washington Nationals, Cueto twirled nine shutout innings of two-hit, no-run ball, racking up 11 strikeouts with just one walk and earning his first shutout of the season.
It was a statement game—no two ways about it. For the Reds, sure, who moved to 5-0 against the Nationals this season and hung five runs on Scherzer in 4.2 innings.
Really, though, it was all about Cueto, who is one of five NL players vying for a final, fan-decided spot in the Midsummer Classic. Go ahead, cast your vote.
"Watching him play, I hope the fans took notice and vote for him," said Reds first baseman Joey Votto, who missed the All-Star cut himself, per Cincinnati.com's John Fay.
"That was his A-grade stuff," manager Bryan Price noted, per Jacob B. Lourim of USA Today. "Command with action, all the deceptive hesitations, the quick pitches. A shutdown game by our ace."
MLB.com's Anthony Castrovince recently threw his support behind another ace up for the final All-Star vote, a fellow by the name of Clayton Kershaw:
If you're like me and emphasize the "Star" in All-Star, how can you vote for anybody other than Kershaw? The reigning NL Most Valuable Player and three-time Cy Young Award winner is one of the biggest, brightest stars in this sport, and there's no reason this midseason showcase shouldn't include him.
He's got a solid point.
Even with his numbers down from their preternatural peak, Kershaw remains one of the brightest lights in the big league constellation. There would definitely be something missing if he's left off the roster.
But it's not as if Cueto is some slouch. He finished second to Kershaw in Cy Young balloting last season, after all, posting a 2.25 ERA and pacing the Senior Circuit with 242 strikeouts and 243.2 innings pitched. Add the fact that Cueto would be pitching in front of his hometown fans at Great American Ball Park, and he's the guy who deserves that final invite.
Speaking of Cueto throwing in front of the Cincinnati faithful, it's worth wondering if he'll be doing that much longer—at least in a Reds uniform.
Even after their win over the Nats, the Reds sit at 38-44, 15 games out in the NL Central with little hoping of climbing back into the race.
With so many clubs hovering around the edge of the playoff picture, the deadline figures to be flush with buyers.
An arm of Cueto's caliber should net a strong return, jump-starting a needed franchise overhaul.
Fox Sports' Jeff Sullivan envisions a trade package that includes Cueto and flame-throwing closer Aroldis Chapman:
On their own, neither Cueto nor Chapman would be likely to return an elite-level prospect. Teams are just too possessive and protective of those. But, bundled, the Reds could opt to concentrate value. Instead of getting two prospects individually worth $X, they could get one prospect worth $2X. For Jeff Samardzija and Jason Hammel, the Cubs got Addison Russell, and while the A's probably wouldn't do that again, it's something to remember.
Certainly it would sting for Reds fans to lose their rotation and bullpen anchors in one fell swoop. But that's the nature of rebuilds: pain today in exchange for gain down the road.
That's talk for another day. At the moment, the Reds can sit back and appreciate what they've got. As he showed again on Tuesday in the nation's capital, that is a man who can do wicked things with a baseball in his hand—no doubt about it.
All statistics current as of July 7 and courtesy of MLB.com unless otherwise noted.
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