Two Gators Baseball Alumni Traded for Each Other in Latest MLB Move

A few days after the rumor of a deal went public, two Gators baseball players were traded for each other

Two former Florida Gators baseball players were traded for each other / Denny Medley-Imagn Images

Two Florida Gators baseball alumni are on the move, and they’re being flipped for each other. The Cincinnati Reds have traded infielder Jonathan India to the Kansas City Royals in exchange for right-handed starting pitcher Brady Singer. The Reds also sent outfielder Joey Wiemer to the Royals as part of the trade. 

We have acquired INF Jonathan India and OF Joey Wiemer from the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for RHP Brady Singer.

— Kansas City Royals (@Royals) November 23, 2024

Rumors of a potential trade involving the two Gators came about last weekend. MLB insider Ken Rosenthal and The Athletic’s C. Trent Rosecrans wrote about the brewing deal in a story in the Athletic. 

At the time, there were no guarantees that either player would be part of the deal and the deal wasn’t close. Turns out each team felt involving both players was the best call in the end. 

The Royals were in need of a new second baseman. According to Rosenthal and Rosecrans, they rotated through five during the 2024 season, with Michael Massey starting 70 of them. That’s having a guy starting at the position for just 43% of games. 

Meanwhile, India started at second base 132 times. His glove isn’t the best, but it’s been improving each season. In his Rookie of the Year-winning season, India committed 15 errors. In 2024, he’s down to four errors. For the first time, his fielding percentage was above .990. So, it’s getting there. 

The Royals are swapping power for more trips on base. India only had a .392 slugging percentage last season compared to Massey’s .449. However, he had a .357 on-base percentage while Massey’s was .294. 

On the flip side, the Reds get some desperately needed starting rotation help. The Reds rotation had a 4.09 ERA in 2024. However, that number is averaged out with Hunter Greene’s 2.75 ERA, Andrew Abbott’s 3.72 ERA and Nick Martinez’s 3.10 ERA. The other three guys who started at least 15 games had a 4.97 ERA. 

Singer is coming off a season where he finished with a 3.71 ERA - a nice bounceback from the 5.52 ERA he had in 2023. 

Singer and India were teammates on the Gators from 2016 to 2018. They were both members of the Gators team that won the College World Series in 2017 and were both first-round picks in the 2018 MLB Draft. India went fifth overall and Singer went 18th overall. Until this trade, both players were playing for the team that drafted them.