After bringing the winning run to home plate in Game 7 of the World Series last October, the Kansas City Royals fully intend to go at least that far in 2015. Already in possession of the American League's best record (only the St. Louis Cardinals have more wins in baseball), the Royals filled the only glaring hole on their roster Sunday.

Kansas City acquired Johnny Cueto from the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for Brandon Finnegan, John Lamb and Cody Reed. Cueto will hit the free agent market this offseason, but represents the unquestioned No. 1 starter the Royals have lacked since Zack Greinke was in the organization.

The Los Angeles Dodgers and Toronto Blue Jays were believed to be the front-runners to land Cueto, but talks between the Reds and Royals increased over the weekend. Cueto has less than $4.3 million remaining on his $10 million salary and the Reds sent some of that sum to Kansas City in the deal.

The trade is a huge departure for the Royals, who have long been on the opposite end of these kind of moves. After getting hot in late summer and riding a Wild Card berth all the way to the World Series last year, Dayton Moore and Co. have become increasingly comfortable in the role of confident contender.

Kansas City is lauded for their exceptional defense and they have the fourth-highest OPS (.735) in Major League Baseball, but the pitching staff lacked a leader. James Shields, who wasn't Big Game James for the Royals down the stretch in 2014, left in free agency and Yordano Ventura showed serious growing pains as 24-year-olds often do when you ask them to lead a rotation.

Cueto, who finished second in National League Cy Young voting last season, leaves the senior circuit with a 2.62 ERA, 8.3 strikeouts per nine innings and a 4.14 strikeout-to-walk ratio. He amassed 3.1 WAR for the Reds, ranking him ninth among NL pitchers. He figures to benefit immensely from Kansas City's stingy defense and his presence means Ned Yost can bump Chris Young or Jeremy Guthrie from the rotation, strengthening the back end.

Grade for Royals: A-

There is no question that Kansas City gave up a lot for less than three months of Cueto, but Moore's adaptability as a general manager must be celebrated. He knows how a single pitching performance can shake up October and before landing Cueto the Royals would have had to suffer through anxiety when stacking their rotation up against many in the postseason. They can score runs with the best of them (OK, maybe not with the Blue Jays), but pitching wins. The comparison is unfair, but the ideal scenario for Moore would be a Madison Bumgarner-like October for Cueto.

If Kansas City makes it to the World Series, parting with Finnegan, Lamb and Reed wouldn't hurt in the least. If they don't, you can still live with Moore rolling the dice because the window to win a championship is as open as it may ever be. The Royals have the pieces needed to win consistently, but Alex Gordon is 31 and has a player option for 2016. Guys like Eric Hosmer and Mike Moustakas are about to become expensive. It may not be 2015 or bust, but Moore recognizes the time may be now for the Royals.

The Reds held off on going into full sell-mode until after the All-Star Game, which they hosted, and delaying the inevitable doesn't seem to have hurt the returns. Cueto was the biggest, and just the first, of many pieces that will be moved ahead of Friday's non-waiver deadline. For a rental piece, Cincinnati was able to turn Cueto into a nice haul.

Grade for Reds: A

Finnegan, a 22-year-old lefty, carries the most promise. He allowed a single run in seven innings out of the bullpen for the Royals in 2014 and pitched to a 2.96 ERA in 24.1 innings as a reliever this season. He profiles as an above-average starter, but at the very least has shown that he can be a highly effective reliever. Given his age and experience in the Major Leagues, he carries the rare blend of a high ceiling and floor.

Lamb, 25, was rated by Baseball America as the game's No. 11 prospect prior to the 2011 season, but Tommy John surgery that year essentially robbed him of two seasons. He has yet to advance to the Major Leagues, but has a 2.67 ERA and 9.2 strikeouts per nine innings with Triple-A Omaha this season. His road to success has been a long and winding one, but Lamb could help Cincinnati sooner rather than later.

Reed, another 22-year-old lefty, has split time between High-A and Double-A this year. He has a 2.53 ERA, averages 7.9 strikeouts per nine innings and 3.23 strikeouts per walk. MLB.com rated him as Kansas City's No. 26 prospect entering 2015 and he struck out a career-high 11 batters in six-plus innings for the Wilmington Blue Rocks in mid-May. 

Cueto was going to leave as a free agent after the season and all the Reds could have assured themselves was a compensation pick next June. Adding Finnegan, Lamb and Reed, who all have had at least some success as professionals, was an expected, but proactive move.