The Kansas City Royals and Cincinnati Reds both traded from positions of depth on Friday.
In a swap between 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 of the trade, having won NL Rookie of the Year in 2021 and served as a steady presence for Cincinnati in the years since. The Reds were running out of places to play him, though, as they stood to have a glut 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 collegiate level. The Reds had younger and more intriguing players at both positions. Matt McLain was (and now definitely is) poised to take over second after returning from shoulder surgery that followed an excellent debut in 2023, while former top 25 prospect Noelvi Marte appears to still be the guy at third.
There is also the fact India wasn’t a strong defender at second in the first place, and hasn’t shown himself to have the arm for third at the MLB level.
Rather than try out India in the outfield or something, the Reds dealt him away for a pitcher who was a key component of 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. Considering only two Reds pitchers even topped 120 innings this past season, Singer should be a welcome addition.
It’s unclear where exactly India fits in for the Royals. He’s still an excellent hitter when it comes to getting on base and profiles as the new leadoff hitter for a team that ranked third-to-last in MLB in walk rate this season, but his defensive limitations make it hard to say if he should take over second from last year’s starter, Michael Massey.
A move to the outfield could be in the cards for India, or the Royals could make some other move. Wiemer also isn’t exactly a throw-in, as he was a top-100 prospect for some outlets entering 2023 and could benefit from a change in scenery after hitting .201/.279/.349 to open his MLB career.