The Royals and Reds made the biggest move within the non-tender period. Kansas City acquired an infielder Jonathan India and outfielder Joey Wiemer from Cincinnati for the starting pitcher Brady Singer. The Royals had space on their 40-man roster, so no corresponding moves were necessary.
This is a trade of big league veterans between teams expected to compete for a playoff spot. India and Singer are former college teammates at Florida who were each taken in the first round of the 2018 draft. Both players advanced to the major leagues within a few seasons and were solid contributors at the MLB level for over four years. They will each be under the club's control for a further two seasons.
India started their career with a bang. He won the 2021 National League rookie of the Year award, hitting .269/.376/.459 with 21 home runs and 34 doubles while appearing in 150 games. India couldn't quite maintain this level in the following three seasons. This is partly due to injury, as he missed the next two years with hamstring and foot problems. He combined a .246/.333/.394 slash line with 27 home runs in 222 contests over that stretch. That's an average performance for a player who played his home games at Cincinnati's Great American Ball Park, arguably the most hit-friendly venue in the league next to Coors Field.
He recovered somewhat last season. The Reds toyed with using him in multiple positions, but Matt McLains A shoulder injury in Spring Training forced India back into the routine at second base. While most of Cincinnati's infield sputtered, India batted .248/.357/.392 with 15 home runs in 637 plate appearances. He avoided the injured list and posted his best numbers since his rookie year.
India doesn't have much home run potential. He hasn't hit 20 home runs since his debut season. It's unlikely he'll find more pop over the fence at spacious Kauffman Stadium. India has solid gap power and good attack zone awareness. He drew walks at a career-best rate of 12.6%, while his strikeouts remained at a modest 19.6% this year. India has been at the top of the Cincinnati rankings for most of his career, a role he will now play in Kansas City.
The Royals got very little out of the leadoff spot in 2024. Skipper Matt Quatraro used the third baseman with a glove Maikel Garcia as his primary leadoff option. Garcia hit .231 with a meager .281 on-base percentage over 626 trips to the plate. The Royals placed a heavy emphasis on finding a more consistent base presence to place at the top of the lineup. This makes the second MVP place possible Bobby Witt Jr. and middle order bats Salvador Perez And Vinnie Pasquantino Finding more ways to ride in runs.
India should take the lead, but it remains to be seen what position he will play. He has played all of nearly 4,000 innings in the majors at second base. Statcast's defensive runs saved and outs above average have both ranked him as a below-average defender throughout his career. Statcast felt he performed averagely last season, although DRS rated him 10 runs below average.
Overall, India's 2024 season wasn't much better than the performance of the incumbent second baseman Michael Massey. The left-handed Massey hit .259/.294/.449 with 14 home runs in 356 plate appearances while battling back injuries early in the season. India reach base more consistently but Massey has a greater power advantage. They are each mediocre defenders who are unlikely to win Gold Gloves.
India winning to move Massey to the bench would be puzzling. The Royals could try to take India around the diamond, as the Reds considered last spring. He was a third baseman at Florida and early in his minor league career. The Reds could try him at the hot corner while moving Garcia to a utility role, although Statcast has rated India's arm strength as mediocre even compared to second base. (Playing him at third could give the Royals the opportunity to trade Garcia to teams that might use him at shortstop.) The Royals could push India or Massey into the corner outfield, reducing playing time for the underperforming duo MJ Melendez And Hunter Renfroe.
In any case, it's clear that the Royals placed a lot of emphasis on getting a leadoff hitter. You pay a significant price to get it. Teams are generally reluctant to give up controllable pitching early on. Singer is a high quality mid rotation arm. His career ERA of 4.28 reflects some inconsistency, but he has posted a mark under 4.00 in two of the last three years.
This includes a value of 3.71 from a total of 32 starts this year. Singer pitched a career-best 179 2/3 innings and generally impressive peripheral hitting. He defeated a decent 22.3% of opponents and received ground balls at an above-average rate of 47.1%. Singer has always been a top strike thrower and he once again kept his walk rate at a decent 7.1%.
Singer's stuff isn't overwhelming. He is primarily a sinker-slider pitcher who hits about 92 mph with the heater. The breaking ball is his best swing-and-miss offering, while the sinker generally plays for grounders. Singer never found variety to neutralize lefties. Lefties have hit .261/.342/.442 over his career and are hitting .291/.367/.488 this year. However, Singer dominated his right-handed opponents, holding them to a paltry .208/.252/.311 line.
The platoon issues likely limit Singer's chances to that of a third or fourth starter. This is still a very valuable player, and Singer's track record of endurance is very attractive to a Cincinnati team that has been hit hard by injuries this year. He will lag behind Hunter Greene and next to it Nick Lodolo And Andrew Abbott in the middle of the staff. Top view Rhett Lowder could have the inside track on the fifth starter role while Nick Martínez is back after accepting a $21.05 million qualifying offer. Martinez is no stranger to switching between starting and late-inning relief. He could start the season in the bullpen and move into the rotation when injuries inevitably arise.
It's a nice win for Cincinnati, who once again faced questions about where they would have played against India. McLain will be back after missing all of last season. With Elly De La Cruz At shortstop, the keystone is his best route to everyday hitting. The Reds could have used India in a useful role between first, second, designated batsman and corner outfield. The Reds had previously been hesitant to move India, who had emerged as leaders in the clubhouse. They need to fill that void off the field, but putting him in the middle of the rotation as a starter balances the roster more effectively.
It's a similar thought process with the Royals, whose lineup wasn't deep enough to accommodate the strength of their rotation. Kansas City still has an excellent top three Cole Ragans, Seth Lugo and the newly signed Michael Wacha. Correct Alec Marsh could slip into the fourth starter role. That would work Kyle Wright And Kris Bubic Fighting for the fifth entry-level job to taking on external acquisitions. Wright, who posted a 3.19 ERA over 30 starts for the Braves in 2022, returns after missing the entire '24 season due to shoulder surgery. Bubic underwent Tommy John surgery in '23 and returned to action in a backup role last summer. The Stanford product excelled in short stints (2.67 ERA with 39 strikeouts in 30 1/3 innings) and was able to return to a starting role.
On paper, Singer appears to be the more valuable trading chip than India. This will be partially offset by the inclusion of Wiemer, who will compete for a spot in KC's corner outfield. Wiemer, a former Brewers draft pick out of the University of Cincinnati, emerged as a top prospect thanks to a tremendous strength-speed combination. The long-standing question is whether the 6-foot-10 outfielder would make enough contact to take advantage of that advantage.
That hasn't happened yet. Wiemer, who turns 26 in February, has hit .201/.279/.349 with an elevated strikeout rate of 28.5% in 438 major league games. Milwaukee moved on from the right-hander at the deadline last summer, trading him to the Reds for a few months Frankie Montas. Wiemer had a .242/.387/.358 line in Triple-A at the time of this trade, but finished the year with a dismal .190/.280/.229 performance in 118 plate appearances for Cincinnati's top affiliate. Understandably, that wasn't enough to warrant a more detailed look at the majors. Wiemer only took one hit in a Reds uniform.
Wiemer still has one option year left and has at least five seasons of control over the club. He could be a long-term player if he gets that far in his mid-20s, but to do that he needs to improve his contact skills.
The trade is on the verge of financial failure. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz Projects Singer for a salary of $8.8 million in his penultimate arbitration season. That should rise to the $12 million to $14 million range in 2026. India will earn $7.05 million next year and go through arbitration again the following offseason. Wiemer will play at the league minimum for at least two more seasons. Depending on Singer's final arbitration award, the Reds will increase their payroll by approximately $2 million.
C. Trent Rosecrans and Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic reported last week that the Royals and Reds had discussed an India/Singer framework. Robert Murray from FanSided It was first reported that the Royals would acquire Wiemer.
Images courtesy of USA Today Sports.
