As reported by your favorite baseball outlets, the Reds sent second baseman Jonathan India and outfielder Joey Wiemer to the Royals for pitcher Brady Singer.

Wiemer’s history shows him to be a fifth outfielder type – a little power and the ability to play all three outfield positions. But he has yet to show that his bat will play in the majors; his career batting average is a single point over the Mendoza Line. So the whole focus of the trade is on India, a decent bat but a marginally below average fielder at second base, for Singer, who is a good middle of the rotation starter who has been dependable at eating innings.

Trade Trivia: India and Singer were teammates at the University of Florida and both drafted out of college in 2018.

I like this trade for the Reds. With Matt McLain coming back after missing all of last year, they have a different infield option who could be just as good as India if not slightly better. (McLain produced twice the WAR as India in 2023. Remember, McLain got ROY votes in 2023 – that kid could hit.) The Reds rotation, however, needs help and Singer can give them 180 good innings. And, he’ll be new to most of the National League hitters.

The Royals have some other options for the rotation if they keep Michael Lorenzen or take a second and longer look at Daniel Lynch as a starter. That said, most teams don’t usually want to give away 180 good innings. Lorenzen seems to have found a new career as a starter and the Royals should be willing to cover those expenses to keep him around. As for bringing in India, India gets on base far more than Michael Massey, though the two players provided nearly the same value for each team. Either one might be able to play some third base, which would be a benefit if Maikel Garcia doesn’t rebound to his 2023 batting levels. Garcia still has some time for growth, though. It would help if Garcia could generate some more power and plate control. Still – I don’t know if the addition of India will make up for the loss of Singer.

So, I think the Reds will win on this one. They are close to being contenders and the biggest need they have is dependable starting pitchers. On that level, if Singer can meet his 2024 levels for Cincinnati and McLain can play second base and return to his 2023 hitting form, the Reds could easily pick up three or four extra wins toward their goal of making the playoffs.

Photo Credit/Source: Brady Singer’s Instagram Account