Reds Reportedly Shopping Jonathan India for Starting Pitching
2021 National League rookie of the year Jonathan India is reportedly (per Mark Feinsand) being shopped by the Cincinnati Reds front office. Reds GM Nick Krall is reportedly looking for young pitching with team control in return. However, this trade rumor is much more complicated than the typical deadline scuttlebutt.
Jonathan India has been a vital part of the Reds’ rebuild since his rookie season in 2021 and since has been one of the few bright spots within the organization. As franchise cornerstones Luis Castillo, Jesse Winker, Eugenio Suarez, and Nick Castellanos (to name a few) have departed from Cincinnati, India stayed. Throughout his three seasons in the majors, India has grown into the Reds’ emotional leader. Even with the second baseman struggling to find his rookie-year form in 2023, India has stayed a fan favorite in the Queen City.
The 26-year-old has struggled over the past few months, where his batting average crept close to the sub-.250 depths. He has since played much better, including a monster game on July 17th against the Giants. India went deep in this contest and added two more hits to the final box score. Even though the Reds lost this home-opener, they went on to split the series against the powerful San Francisco Giants.
When news of a possible trade broke, Reds fans split down the middle with their opinions of the potential move. One end of the spectrum realizes how important India is to the culture of the Reds organization.
He is always seen as the first one throwing the Viking helmet onto a teammate that just crushed a home run. Also, when India sees the ball, he is a highly skilled batter that gets on base at an extremely high level. He plays hard, is a great teammate, and has seemingly mentored the Reds’ multitude of rookie talent. But at the same time, India has not lived up to his standard behind the plate (or in the field) since his rookie season.
The Reasons for the Rumors
Many fans have seen what analysts and general managers have been seeing: the Reds need pitching. Not only does the team need some arms, but the Redlegs also have an overwhelming supply of high-level, major-league-caliber infielders.
The Reds control India through the 2026 season, but he and his mega-star agent Scott Boras may look to get the duffle bag they deserve. And as many baseball fans know, Scott Boras doesn’t back down from any team. He’s notoriously hard to work with and has negotiated some of the most significant contracts in baseball history (Bryce Harper, Gerrit Cole, Stephen Strasburg, etc.).
However, the main reason for the (alleged) shopping for the front office is the aforementioned infield talent within the organization. Rookies Matt McLain (SS who played 2B in college), Elly De La Cruz (SS/3B), Spencer Steer (1B/3B/LF), and Christian Encarnacion-Strand (1B) have all been tearing up the big leagues. This then presents the problem of too many mouths to feed for manager David Bell.
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While many fans would point to the DH spot as the Reds’ ticket out of the situation, they may forget about another bat in Louisville. Shortstop/third baseman Noelvi Marte is regarded as the Reds’ top prospect and a top-20 prospect by MLB’s official rankings. This then leaves somebody without big league at-bats, and Marte is knocking on the door of Great American Ballpark.
Reds Pitching Woes
The Reds enter Monday night’s contest with the first-place Milwaukee Brewers only half a game back of first place. A win on the road would cause the Reds to jump Milwaukee in the NL Central. Cincinnati enters the game with a 55-46 record, something many fans only dreamed of before the season.
From a purely record standpoint, most would assume the Reds lack glaring holes on their roster. They would be very wrong, as the Reds sport the fifth-worst ERA in all of baseball. Starter Luke Weaver continues to win almost every game despite his 7.20 ERA. The Reds’ arms are constantly bailed out by their supremely talented offense and one of baseball’s best closers, Alexis Diaz.
On the bright side, Cincinnati ace Hunter Greene and fellow young arm Nick Lodolo are set to return in the next month. They will slot back into being the two best arms in the rotation (not named Andrew Abbott). Starters Graham Ashcraft and Brandon Williamson have started to show signs of returning to form. However, most would agree the Reds are one good arm away from being a complete team.
Reds GM Nick Krall will reportedly only talk trades if the returning player is a young arm with team control. Teams in the mix will have to part with a young arm that can instantly help the Reds’ rotation. The question remains, is it worth it?
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