On Friday, the Kansas City Royals and Cincinnati Reds both made deep trades.
In a trade between upstart Central Division teams, the Reds will send infielder Jonathan India and outfielder Joey Wiemer to the Royals in exchange for starting pitcher Brady Singer, the club announced. The move is an exchange of college teammates, as India and Singer played together at the University of Florida.
India is one of the biggest players in the business, winning National League Rookie of the Year in 2021 and has been a steady presence in Cincinnati in the years since. However, the Reds lacked a place to play him as they have a surplus of infielders next season.
India only played second base during his MLB career, but has experience at third base in the minors and college level. The Reds had young, attractive players in both positions. Matt McClain was (and most definitely is) ready to take the No. 2 spot after returning from shoulder surgery to make an impressive debut in 2023. Meanwhile, former Top 25 prospect Noelvi Marte still appears to be the No. 3 man.
India has never been a strong defender as a second baseman, and there is also the fact that he hasn’t shown any skill as a third baseman at the MLB level.
Rather than try India as an outfielder or something, the Reds released him as a pitcher in one of the strongest rotations in MLB this season. Singer, a former No. 18 pick and top prospect, posted a 3.71 ERA in 179 2/3 innings in 2024. Singer should be a welcome addition, considering only two Reds pitchers had more than 120 innings that season.
It’s unclear where exactly India fits in for the Royals. He remains an excellent hitter when it comes to getting on base, and is attracting attention as the new leadoff hitter for a team that ranks third from the bottom in MLB in walk rate this season, but his defensive ability Due to its limitations, it is difficult to judge whether or not it should be used. He finished second or better than last year’s starter, Michael Massey.
India could be considering a move to the outfield, or the Royals could make another move. In addition, Wiemer is expected to be in the top 100 in some media outlets heading into 2023, and has achieved a batting average of .201/.279/.349, which is the beginning of his MLB career, due to the change in circumstances. He’s not necessarily a throwing player because he could benefit from it.
