The Kansas City Royals and Cincinnati Reds traded from depth positions on Friday.
In a trade between the Central Division upstarts, the Reds sent infielder Jonathan India and outfielder Joey Wiemer to the Royals in exchange for starting pitcher Brady Singer. the club announced. The move is a swap of college teammates, as India and Singer played together at Florida.
India is the biggest name in the trade, having won the National League Rookie of the Year award in 2021 and serving as a consistent presence for Cincinnati in the years since. However, the Reds were running out of places to play him, as they would have a surplus of infielders next season.
India has only played second base in his MLB career, but has experience at third base in the minors and at the college level. The Reds had younger, more intriguing players at both positions. Matt McLain was (and now definitely is) set to take the second spot after returning from shoulder surgery that followed an excellent debut in 2023, while former top 25 prospect Noelvi Marte looks to remain third.
There’s also the fact that India wasn’t a strong defender at second in the first place, and hasn’t proven to have the arm for third at the MLB level.
Instead of testing India in the outfield or something, the Reds traded him for a pitcher who was a key component of one of MLB’s strongest rotations this season. Singer, a former No. 18 pick and top prospect, posted a 3.71 ERA in 179 2/3 innings in 2024. Considering only two Reds pitchers surpassed 120 innings that same season, Singer should be a welcome addition.
It’s unclear where exactly India fits in for royalty. He remains an excellent hitter when it comes to getting on base and figures to be the new leadoff hitter for a team that ranked next to last in the MLB in walk rate this season, but his defensive limitations make it difficult to say whether he should take base. ahead of the second to last year’s starter, Michael Massey.
A move to the outfield could be on the cards for India, or the Royals could make some other move. Wiemer isn’t exactly a fit either, as he was a top-100 prospect by some outlets heading into 2023 and could benefit from a change of scenery after hitting .201/.279/.349 to open his MLB career.