The great baseball writer Roger Angell once described Luis Tiant, the terrific Red Sox pitcher of the 1970s, like this: "His repertoire begins with an exaggerated mid-windup pivot, during which he turns his back on the batter and seems to examine the infield directly behind the mound for signs of crabgrass." Reggie Jackson called Tiant "the Fred Astaire of baseball."

Johnny Cueto is our generation's Luis Tiant. I don't know if he smokes cigars in the shower, but he has that similar rocking, twisting windup. He changes his delivery between pitches, usually working quickly but sometimes adding an extra pause to throw the hitter off. Occasionally, he'll even add a little wiggle mid-twist. He's not just a guy with deception, however, but a pitcher with a 94 mph fastball, one of the best cutters in the game, plus a variety of breaking balls. Thurman Munson said Tiant had 50 pitches. Cueto might not have that many, but tell that to opposing hitters.

Against the Washington Nationals and prospective All-Star starter Max Scherzer on Tuesday, the Cincinnati Reds ace made his own bid for the All-Star team. He threw 122 pitches in throwing a two-hit shutout with 11 strikeouts in a 5-0 victory, amazingly the first Reds pitcher to toss a shutout with so few hits and that many strikeouts since the great Jose Rijo in 1990. He retired 17 of the final 18 batters and lowered his ERA to 2.61. Cueto is one of the five players on the Final Vote ballot for the National League All-Star roster. While he might have a hard time beating out Clayton Kershaw, it would be nice to see Cueto make it with the game in Cincinnati.

"I would love to pitch in the All-Star Game. I want to do it," Cueto said after the game. "It's an All-Star Game in Cincinnati, with my fans in my house with my team."

Unfortunately, this game had a bittersweet feeling for Reds fans. It's possible, after all, that this could have been Cueto's final start in a Reds uniform. With the Reds now 38-44 -- 7 1/2 games behind the Cubs for the second wild-card spot -- and Cueto a free agent at season's end, he might be the top player available at the trade deadline. He would be better than Cole Hamels and also less costly to acquire since he's just a two-month rental. Considering the 122 pitches he threw, the Reds are unlikely to start him on Sunday, especially since he's already missed one start with a sore elbow and had a recent start pushed back a few days.

In other words? Why risk anything after a start like this? His trade value just went up.

I love watching Cueto pitch. The turn, the wiggle, the stoutness. Give him a stogie and he's Luis Tiant reincarnated. — District Sports Nats (@NationalsDSP) July 8, 2015

The Nation loves you, Johnny Cueto. — Redleg Nation (@redlegnation) July 8, 2015

I'm going to miss Johnny Cueto when he's gone. One of the two best Reds pitchers since 1950. — Chad Dotson (@dotsonc) July 8, 2015

@JohnnyCueto was lights out tonight! I can't describe how grateful I am to be able to watch and learn from him. #RedsWin — Michael Lorenzen (@Lorenzen55) July 8, 2015

While Reds fans have resigned themselves to Cueto getting traded, the question is: Which teams gets him? Christina Kahrl wrote a couple days ago that Cueto would be a perfect fit for the Kansas City Royals, a good team that lacks an ace. Cueto clearly would be their No. 1 starter to begin the playoffs. But maybe the Royals believe they have enough rotation depth with Edinson Volquez, Yordano Ventura and Jason Vargas eventually coming off the disabled list, the possible return of Kris Medlen (who has made two minor league rehab starts from Tommy John surgery), plus some combo of Chris Young, Danny Duffy, Jeremy Guthrie and Joe Blanton. They might elect to spend their chips on a right fielder or second baseman.

The Dodgers could use rotation depth, but Cueto, in a sense, is less valuable to them, since they already have Kershaw and Zack Greinke. Cueto wouldn't start the wild-card game if the Dodgers ended up there and likely would be only their No. 3 starter in the postseason. The Dodgers are more likely to go after a less expensive option like Miami's Dan Haren, or maybe Hamels, who they would control beyond 2015. Certainly, the Blue Jays and Yankees would rate high on the list of interested teams. The Tigers desperately need a starter and a team built to win for 2015 but they don't have the same depth in prospects as the Jays and Yankees. Ditto the Giants.

The sleeper team: The Houston Astros. A Dallas Keuchel-Cueto duo in a short series would look pretty sweet, and the Astros have plenty of young talent to offer the Reds.

Before the 2014 season, the Reds bet big on Homer Bailey, signing him to a $105 million contract, a much-maligned deal at the time considering Bailey was coming off two good-not-great seasons (3.68 and 3.49 ERAs). Bailey hurt his elbow last season, made two starts this year and then underwent Tommy John surgery. Cueto had made just 11 starts in 2013, making three trips to the disabled list with problems with his right lat, but he'd always been better than Bailey.

It's obviously a decision that will haunt the franchise, as the Reds likely will be unable to afford three $100 million contracts in Bailey, Joey Votto and Cueto. So now the pitcher with the second-best ERA in the majors since 2011 -- behind only Kershaw -- is likely to be dealt. If I'm the Reds, I make that trade ASAP.