Two Gators Baseball alumni named on each side of potential MLB trade

Two members of the 2017 National Championship Gators team could be on the move in the same trade

Two former Gators teammates are reported to be involved in the same potential trade / David Richard-Imagn Images

Two Florida Gators baseball alumni have been named in trade talks between the Kansas City Royals and the Cincinnati Reds.

According to MLB Insider Ken Rosenthal and The Athletic’s C. Trent Rosecrans, Royals starting pitcher Brady Singer and Reds second baseman Jonathan India could be part of the possible swap. 

The #Reds and #Royals are discussing a trade involving SP Brady Singer and INF Jonathan India, per @Ken_Rosenthal pic.twitter.com/a9YGcf73sc

— MLB Deadline News (@MLBDeadlineNews) November 16, 2024

Now, there is no guarantee both players wound up being part of this trade, and the two teams as of Saturday were not close to a deal. 

But the idea of two Gators alumni being on each end of a trade is still enticing. Both would be a boost to key areas on each team. 

The Royals are 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 would also be 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 would get some desperate 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 teammated 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. Both current play for the teams that drafted them.