Johnny Cueto: The Next Great Player to Leave Cincinnati

Good day for this new pitcher Cueto the Reds used against the Diamondbacks in their 3-2 victory yesterday.

Cueto had 10 strikeouts, threw a no-hitter up to the 6th inning, struck out eight of the first thirteen batters, and had a 96 mph fastball.

Hypothetically, lets say this kid becomes the next great pitcher. Given the awful front-office management of the Reds the last few years (lets face it, Krivsky, Jockety and Castellini still have a long way to go before the Reds have any hopes of reaching the playoffs, much less fielding a winning team), Dusty Baker is fired either at the end of this season because of a 74-88 record in 2008, or is fired halfway through the 2009 season because of a 15-40 start or whatever because, *gasp* he wasn't the manager they hoped he would be (lets assume that by the time this happens, veteran pitchers Harang and Arroyo end up like Prior and Wood).

Cueto turns out to be one of the only stars on the team because other players (I'm thinking Adam Dunn, Brandon Phillips and maybe Edwin Encarnacion) finally wised up and left (as it stands, the Reds only look decent when compared to similarly mis-managed teams like Pittsburgh, Tampa Bay and Kansas City, which tend to be springboards for future MLB superstars who move on to bigger and better teams).

Cueto, in turn, wises up and demands more money from the Reds for his services, but the front office isn't willing to budge. Without a decent manager, or even semi-decent players, he's calling the Reds' bluff, and after botched contract negotiations, he leaves Cincinnati for a better team via a) a fire sale a la 2003 (for minor league "prospects," of course) or b) qualifies for the "Super Two" exception in salary arbitration after two or three successful seasons on an otherwise shitty team.

Worst-case scenario? You bet. Given the Reds' lack of success this past decade, I wouldn't at all be surprised if the team implodes, like they usually do, halfway through this season or sooner. Baker was an awful choice to manage this team considering his preference for vets over younger players. Apparently the front office lives in a bubble, because they either ignored his failings with the Cubs, or didn't care that Baker can't manage younger players, which the Reds happen to be chock-full of at this time. Or better yet, Baker overuses this kid to the point that when he's 25, he'll have the arm of a 46-year old pitcher.

Cueto's debut game against the Diamonbacks was impressive, but too many fans and pundits seem ready to give the kid a Cy Young based on one performance in the majors. Lets see how the rest of this season (hell, even the month of April) plays out not only for Cueto, but the rest of the Reds as well. Anyone else willing to bet they'll be in the NL Central cellar (well, fifth thanks to the everlasting awfulness of the Pirates) come late July or August?