The Cincinnati Reds are reportedly in discussions with the Kansas City Royals about a potential trade involving infielder Jonathan India. Ken Rosenthal and C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic reported earlier today that the trade talks between the two clubs is ongoing but not close. One iteration would involve India going to Kansas City with right-handed starter Brady Singer heading to Cincinnati.
India is signed for 2025 at a salary of $5,000,000 and he is under team control for 2026 and would be arbitration eligible. Singer is under team control for 2025 and 2026 and is arbitration eligible in both seasons. MLB Trade Rumors projects that Singer will get $8,800,000 in arbitration for 2025.
The deal would make some sense for the Reds. While they would be taking on more salary in the trade if it were just those two players involved, they would be turning a bit of a log jam around the infield into a starting pitcher of note.
After struggling in 2023, Brady Singer rebounded well in 2024 for Kansas City. The now 28-year-old made 32 starts and posted a 3.71 ERA (114 ERA+, meaning his ERA was 14% better than league average once park factors were accounted for). He threw 179.2 innings, allowed 22 home runs, walked 54 batters, and he struck out 170 of the 762 hitters he faced (22%). While he’s not an extreme groundball pitcher, he gets grounders at a strong rate – 49% for his career and 47% in 2024 (league average tends to be around 42%).
Last offseason Jonathan India seemed to be involved in rumors left and right. The Reds opted to hold onto him for one reason or another – be it that they didn’t get offers they liked, or they felt even as a super utility option he would be valuable – and it turned out to be a good plan given that by the first week of May the Reds were without two of their starting infielders for the rest of the season and India filled in with his best season since his rookie campaign in 2021 when he took home Rookie of the Year honors.
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