Royals Talking With Reds About Blockbuster For Ex-Rookie Of The Year, Per Insider
When drawing up hypothetical Major League Baseball offseason trades, it's hard to think of better partners than the Cincinnati Reds and Kansas City Royals.
Both are small-market franchises, both teams are relatively young, yet the two have vastly different needs. The Reds are overloaded with talented young hitters, especially infielders, while the Royals have plenty of young pitching, but lack depth in their lineup.
It's easy to imagine the framework of a trade that might send Royals starting pitcher Brady Singer, who had a strong year but didn't factor into the playoff rotation, for Reds second baseman Jonathan India, who might not have the starting job once Matt McLain comes back healthy.
As it turns out, that exact deal might come to fruition soon.
On Saturday, Ken Rosenthal and C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic reported that the Reds and Royals were in preliminary talks about a trade that would swap India and Singer, once college teammates at the University of Florida, to strengthen each other's weaknesses.
"India, the Cincinnati Reds’ second baseman, is one of several hitters the Kansas City Royals are targeting, according to sources briefed on the team’s discussions," the authors said. "And Singer, a right-handed starting pitcher coming off one of his best seasons, is drawing interest from the Reds and other teams seeking to deepen their rotations, the sources said."
"A trade involving India and Singer was not close on Saturday, and is just one of several possibilities under consideration for both clubs. The Royals also are entertaining the idea of trading a less established pitcher such as left-hander Kris Bubic or righty Alec Marsh for a younger hitter."
India, the 2021 National League Rookie of the Year, hasn't quite established himself as the star the Reds once thought he could become, but he's still a solid on-base machine. He had a .357 on-base percentage this season, and his 105 OPS+ was his highest since his rookie year.
Singer, meanwhile, had a bounce-back year after a dreadful 2023, posting a 3.79 ERA and 170 strikeouts in 32 starts. He'd be one of the better number-four starters in the league if the Royals hung onto him, but he could also be an appealing target for a pitching-starved team like the Reds.
Will both sides be satisfied with a one-for-one swap, though? That's always a tricky question to evaluate and could wind up being the reason a deal either does or does not happen.
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Jackson Roberts is a former Division III All-Region DH who now writes and talks about sports for a living. A Bay Area native and a graduate of Swarthmore College and the Newhouse School at Syracuse University, Jackson makes his home in North Jersey. He grew up rooting for the Red Sox, Patriots, and Warriors, and he recently added the Devils to his sports fandom mosaic. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding "Kansas City Royals On SI," please reach out to Scott Neville: scott@wtfsports.org