Here’s How Kansas City Royals' Brady Singer Could Fit Into Cincinnati Reds’ Rotation

Now that Nick Martinez has picked up his qualifying offer, the Cincinnati Reds could round out their starting rotation by trading Jonathan India to the Kansas City Royals for Brady Singer.

Jul 31, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Kansas City Royals pitcher Brady Singer (51) throws against the Chicago White Sox during the first inning at Guaranteed Rate Field. / David Banks-Imagn Images

The Cincinnati Reds are gearing up for a bounce-back season in 2025, and reshaping their pitching staff may be high up on their list of priorities.

Rumors surfaced Saturday that the Reds were talking about trading second baseman Jonathan India to the Kansas City Royals for starting pitcher Brady Singer. The very next morning, swingman Nick Martinez accepted Cincinnati's $21.05 million qualifying offer, two weeks after he declined his $12 million player option.

On top of Martinez coming back, the Reds have a returning core of Hunter Greene, Andrew Abbott and Nick Lodolo. Top prospect Rhett Lowder also showed promise after making his MLB debut in August, posting a 1.17 ERA and 1.9 WAR in six starts down the stretch.

Trade deadline acquisition Jakob Junis entered free agency, though, and Brandon Williamson is set to miss the entire 2025 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery in September. 23-year-old righty Julian Aguiar also underwent Tommy John surgery in October, just two months after getting his first taste of big league action.

That leaves room for at least one more starting pitcher in Cincinnati, since only 35 of Martinez's 152 appearances over the past three seasons have come as a starter. If new manager Terry Francona wants to use Martinez out of the bullpen and keep Lowder in the minors to open 2025, that leaves two spots up for grabs in the Reds' rotation.

One internal option in Graham Ashcraft, who has four years left of team control. Ashcraft has made 60 starts for Cincinnati over the past three seasons, going 17-20 with a 4.91 ERA.

Singer could fill the other spot, coming off another solid campaign in Kansas City.

The 28-year-old right-hander finished the year 9-13 with a 3.71 ERA, 1.275 WHIP, 8.5 strikeouts per nine innings and a 3.1 WAR across 32 starts. It was a significant improvement upon his production in 2023, when he went 8-11 with a 5.52 ERA, 1.447 WHIP, 7.5 strikeouts per nine innings and a 0.3 WAR in 29 starts.

Singer isn't a one-year-wonder, however, as his best year came back in 2022. The righty went 10-5 with a 3.23 ERA, 1.141 WHIP, 8.8 strikeouts per nine innings and a 4.5 WAR that season.

MLB Trade Rumors is projecting Singer to earn $8.8 million in arbitration this offseason, while Spotrac has him at $7.5 million. He is under team control for two more seasons.

Having lefties Abbott and Lodolo in place gives the Reds the flexibility to add any pitcher they want without worrying about being too righty-heavy. Greene, Martinez, Lowder, Ashcraft and Singer are all righties.

Cincinnati could hold steady and flip India for someone else, but with Matt McLain coming back from injury and Noelvi Marte back from his suspension, the former NL Rookie of the Year is expendable. While the iron certainly isn't hot anymore, India still carries value as an experienced leadoff hitter with two years of team control.

If that can land the Reds a respectable starter like Singer, it may be time for them to strike.

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