Breaking down the Cueto trade

And so begins the future of the Cincinnati Reds.

It’s been common knowledge that a trade involving ace Johnny Cueto would come eventually. After months of rumors, the Royals ended up being that team and Reds fans finally have prospect names to weigh against the loss of the franchise’s best pitcher since Jose Rijo.

It should be understood that a trade like this had to happen. In fact, the haul the front office was able to negotiate is fairly impressive. Any hope of landing top-tier prospects for a two-month rental was unreasonable. Baseball has become a young man's game and teams value youth, and the contract control it offers, more than even a pitcher with Cueto's skill set.

That said, a loud chorus of praise has swelled from baseball writers.

Yahoo's Jeff Passan:

Reds did really well with getting three power arms in Brandon Finnegan, John Lamb and Cody Reed, but it's a deal the Royals needed to make.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) July 26, 2015

ESPN's Keith Law:

BTW, I wrote up my thoughts on the Cueto deal - I thought it was fair for both sides: http://t.co/gZ8OcEIrwd (Insider)

— keithlaw (@keithlaw) July 27, 2015

MLB.com's Jim Callis

I like what the @Reds got for Johnny Cueto, also like the trade for the @Royals. Keep an eye on Cody Reed. http://t.co/C0NDYmkcuS

— Jim Callis (@jimcallisMLB) July 26, 2015

Does that mean this is a surefire win for the Reds? No. Does it mean that they maximized their return for a guy that was never going to resign here? Maybe.

The Cueto deal was never going to be the one that changed the culture. The Reds held on to him until nearly the last possible moment and waited themselves into a lower tier of prospects.

That doesn't bode well for the club making tougher decisions on players like Aroldis Chapman.

Rebuilding a house requires more than just painting the walls and replacing cabinet fixtures. When there are wholesale problems with the plumbing and electric, you have to strip it down to the studs and start all over.

One only needs to look at Philadelphia to see what a team looks like when they wait too long to flip their roster. The Reds have watched division foes like the Cardinals, the Pirates and the Cubs position themselves to be contenders for the next three years or beyond.

That means Cincinnati's rebuilding plan should be structured accordingly.

If this truly begins a new era of Reds baseball, it will require bold moves and a realization of what this team is right now and what it needs to be moving forward.

You did good, Walt Jocketty. Now get back to work and do better.