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The Cincinnati Reds have shipped away a player once thought to be a big part of their future.
The Reds traded second baseman Jonathan India to the Kansas City Royals on Friday, the team announced. The Reds received starting pitcher Brady Singer in exchange for the 27-year-old while also sending outfielder Joey Wiemer to Kansas City.
India had been the subject of multiple trade rumors dating back to last offseason, but the Reds chose not to move him during the 2024 campaign. Kansas City ultimately convinced Cincinnati to give up on a player who showed promise early in his career.
The 2021 National League Rookie of the Year, India has still yet to reach his full potential in MLB. After his stellar first year in the majors, he dealt with injuries in back-to-back seasons that clearly affected his performance.
In 2023, India appeared in 119 games and hit .244 with 17 home runs and 61 RBI.
India overcame a slow start to this past season to finish with a .248 batting average, 15 home runs and 58 RBI while appearing in a career-high 151 games. He underwent a minor “clean up” procedure on his ankle in October that is expected to allow him to have a normal offseason. Cincinnati finished fourth in the NL Central with a 77-85 record, missing the playoffs for the fourth straight year.
As for Singer, he finished with a record of 9-13 in 32 starts last season while posting a 3.71 ERA. He also racked up a career-high 170 strikeouts compared to 54 walks in 179.2 innings of work.
Singer has recorded a sub-four ERA in two of the past three years, which included an impressive 3.23 mark during his 2022 campaign to go along with a 10-5 record.
Wiemer spent time with the Reds as well as the Milwaukee Brewers in 2024, going 4-for-26 with nine combined strikeouts and two walks with both organizations.
India is now joining a Royals squad that finished with an 86-76 record in 2024 before losing to the New York Yankees in the ALDS. If he can stay healthy, he should be a solid addition to a lineup that includes stars Bobby Witt Jr. and Salvador Perez.
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