Royals trade reliever Jose Cuas to Cubs. Here are the details as trade deadline nears

The Kansas City Royals traded reliever Jose Cuas to the Chicago Cubs. Cuas is the latest Royals reliever to be moved at the 2023 trade deadline.

The Royals traded Aroldis Chapman to the Texas Rangers earlier this season. Cuas, 29, owns a 4.54 ERA in 45 appearances. He has struck out 52 batters and allowed 21 earned runs out the bullpen.

The Royals received outfielder Nelson Velázquez in the deal. Velázquez is on the Royals’ 40-man roster and was optioned to Triple-A Omaha.

“We like his power potential,” Royals general manager J.J. Picollo said. “He’s got a brief amount of time in the major leagues, but his minor league track record is pretty good.”

Velázquez, 24, hit .241 in 13 games with the Cubs. He has 45 hits, nine home runs and 32 RBIs in 90 career games.

The Royals view Velázquez as a corner outfielder. He is expected to provide depth and could get a look with the major-league roster this season.

“We think he’s gonna profile better in either corner,” Picollo said. “He’s got an above-average arm. So naturally you want to say right field, but we’ll learn more about that as we get to know him better and see him play.”

This season, Velázquez belted 16 home runs with the Cubs Triple-A affiliate. In his last 22 games, Velázquez posted a .775 OPS (on-base plus slugging) percentage.

Velázquez was drafted in the fifth round of the 2017 MLB Draft. He was named the MVP of the 2021 Arizona Fall League and made his MLB debut with the Cubs last season.

Cuas departs after signing with the Royals as a minor-league free agent. He resumed his baseball career after working as at FedEx in Brooklyn, New York, to support his family.

Cuas made his MLB debut last season against the Cleveland Guardians.

Piccollo mentioned that the Cubs showed the most interest in a trade. Both teams came to an agreement that provided value for a deal to be in place.

“I do want to say Jose was a pleasure to have with us,” Picollo said. “You guys all know his story. ... We wish Jose and his family the best in Chicago.”

The Royals will continue to monitor the trade market until the 5 p.m. trade deadline on Tuesday. Royals relievers Scott Barlow and Carlos Hernandez have been the subject of recent trade rumors.

“There’s still a lot of interesting arms out there,” Picollo said. “So things are gonna happen, just don’t know when. But, there’s still gonna be a lot of moves made between now and tomorrow at 5.”