Home Baseball MLB free agency is underway and a lot of moves will happen – Potential Reds and Royals Deal for Jonathan India and Brady Singer

MLB free agency is underway and a lot of moves will happen – Potential Reds and Royals Deal for Jonathan India and Brady Singer

Baseball — 11/20/2024

Reacting to and Analyzing Potential Reds and Royals Deal for Jonathan India and Brady Singer

Blake Flynn/TWSN

MLB free agency is underway and a lot of moves will happen. We’ll see new faces in new places and a lot of money agreed to. While free agency is a big focal point, the trade block is also churning at all times. A report of a potential trade between the Cincinnati Reds and Kansas City Royals has hit the media that involves a swap of former teammates at the University of Florida.

Proposed Trade (Via the Athletic):

Cincinnati Reds receive: RHP Brady Singer

Kansas City Royals receive: INF Jonathan India

Analysis:

Jonathan India has long been a name on the rumor mill for the past few seasons. The 27-year-old infielder won rookie of the year honors in 2021. In that season, he slashed .269/.376/.459 with a .835 OPS including 21 homers and 69 RBIs. India has never reached those totals in his other three seasons. India has dealt with some injuries but has still played in over 100 games every season. For the Reds, they have a lot of young talent, either on the roster or in the minors. The only problem? A lot of them are infielders. Elly De La Cruz and Matt McLain are the two prizes of the group (for now) also joined by Noelvi Marte, Christian Encarnacion-Strand, and Edwin Arroyo. Spencer Steer was a part of that group but has since transitioned to a very reliable corner outfielder. So for the Reds, it would make sense to free up space in the infield and trade India. The Reds have always struggled on the mound and moves for pitchers would never be a bad thing for this team.

On the other side, Brady Singer hasn’t had the greatest of careers people wished he could’ve had. His best season came in 2022, where he went 10-5 with a 3.23 ERA. In his career, Singer has a career record of 36-44 and a career ERA of 4.28. In 2024, Singer posted a 9-13 record with a 3.71 ERA. His career has been more down than up. For the Royals, it would make sense to dump Singer to any team willing to take him. Singer has two years of control left and has shown promise at times besides the injury history. The Royals have a strength of starting pitching led by Cole Ragans, Michael Wacha and Seth Lugo. Trading a player with good trade value from a position of strength would be a good move for them. The team needs a solid bat to add to the lineup alongside superstar shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. and India would be a great bat to add.

Reaction: The Royals would prosper while the Reds would be robbed

Now don’t get me wrong. I am a huge proponent of moving India. However, not for this return. To me, this trade makes no sense. The Reds have a great rotation as it stands now. Hunter Greene, Nick Lodolo, Rhett Lowder, and Andrew Abbott are a solid four with Chase Burnes waiting in the wings. While I do agree the Reds need an upgrade over Graham Ashcraft, I believe they found that last season in Nick Martinez, who just accepted his qualifying offer to stay with the team. Jonathan India could very well end up being the Reds’ version of Francisco Lindor for new manager Terry Francona. His veteran leadership, utility to play multiple positions and clutchness when it matters most are great attributes for India. However, the phones always seem to be ringing for India. I believe you can find a better package for India than just a below-average arm that may or may not actually be good. The Royals would be walking away from this trade like they just robbed a bank if this deal was made. Flipping Singer for India could very well be the heist of the century. This trade makes sense for the Royals and the Royals only.