Royals Make Blockbuster Trade With Reds, Acquire Key Bat To Bolster Lineup
The Kansas City Royals came into the offseason needing some help on the offensive side, as beyond shortstop and American League MVP runner up Bobby Witt Jr., the lineup left a little to be desired.
However, late on Friday, Kansas City tackled one of their biggest needs by making a blockbuster trade with the Cincinnati Reds. On Twitter, the team announced that they had acquired second baseman and slugger Jonathan India from the Cincinnati Reds.
Kansas City also acquired outfielder Joey Weimer and sent right-hander Brady Singer back to the Reds.
Singer made 32 starts with the Royals in 2024, going 9-13 with a 3.71 ERA over 179 2/3 innings of work. He also punched out 170 batters and posted a 3.1 Wins Above Replacement.
India hit just .248 during the regular season but had 15 home runs and 58 RBI. He also stole 13 bases, reached base at a .357 clip and posted a 105 OPS+
Losing Singer certainly isn't ideal, but the Royals already have Cole Ragans, Michael Wacha and Seth Lugo in their starting rotation, and Alec Marsh should continue to take steps forward in 2025.
The Royals won 86 games and secured the second AL Wild Card in 2024 after losing 106 games in 2023. Adding India gives them a proven middle-of-the-order bat to strengthen their lineup and it also gives Witt, Vinnie Pasquantino and Salvador Perez a little bit of protection.
This should give the Royals a much better chance to compete for an AL Central title.
More MLB: Royals Predicted To Pursue Blockbuster With Reds After Failed Juan Soto Pursuit
Curt Bishop is a freelance sports writer who graduated from Maryville University of St. Louis with a Bachelor of Arts degree in the field of Communication and currently writes as a contributor for various platforms covering Major League Baseball. Curt’s work includes covering trade and free agency predictions, as well as rumors and news.