We are going to do a series where we look at the Cincinnati Reds’ potential trade candidates and talk about who they could be. Lock in, and enjoy! First up, we have Jonathan India, perhaps the most “reasonable” trade candidate, and a guy that’s survived 3 times now when it comes to being a Reds trade candidate. Just to be clear, this isn’t suggestive, this is strictly just what the Reds “might” do. We are perfectly happy with India remaining a Red.
He’s survived, 3 times, does he have any value?
I find it hard to believe that the Reds have held onto Jonathan India over 3 times now, with deals reported around the league for other 2B, if he actually had value. It was reported at the 2024 deadline that India to the Yankees was damn near a “lock” but the Reds evidently viewed his leadership as too good to give away for nothing. It needs to be known that India is also signed to a VERY team friendly deal, having been extended for 2 years to bypass arbitration in 2024’s offseason, for 2 years & $8,800,000. He will be paid $5,450,000 in 2025, which could be even more reason for the Reds to shop him once more.
There’s several reasons why I would imagine Jonathan India getting shipped elsewhere this year, and yes, please don’t forget that the Reds still haven’t inked any deals with an RSN and they’ll be losing $60,000,000 on their yearly revenue as it stands, which is a leading reason:
- India’s salary
- Matt McLain is back
- Edwin Arroyo is knocking on the door
- Lack of OF experience
India, soon to be 28, had a resurgent year in 2024, but was still quite streaky. Does he have value? That answer is absolutely, but what is he worth? He has 2 years remaining on his deal with the arb 3 year still there, and as mentioned, he’s signed super cheap for 2025. He was worth 2.8 fWAR, which was on par with his best season in the bigs, his ROY year. So what can we expect him to be worth, and what team may be interested?
Seattle Mariners
The Mariners are one of the few teams known to be looking for a 2B and some offensive help, which is what India is maintaining most of his value for. Would they rather keep their assets and use FA, or could Jonathan India be on their radar? We all know Nick Krall and Jerry Dipoto are two good friends and enjoy working with each other. After all, they’ve made over 3 trades in the last 3 seasons, the most notable being Luis Castillo. I think it’s safe to say the M’s have had a black hole at that position for a very long time now, would they even want India? We think so.
Seattle Mariners get: IF/DH Jonathan India
Cincinnati Reds get: RHP Ryan Sloan LHP Reid VanScoter
The Reds had Ryan Sloan very, very high on their draft board. The Mariners have a deep pitching system, and a 1-1 here is more than reasonable value wise. The Reds have a burning desire to keep their pitching prospects stockpiled, and Reid VanScoter fits a lot of what they like in LHP’s.
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Detroit Tigers
The Tigers are one of the ‘toss up’ teams who could definitely look to upgrade from their current situation especially after a surprise playoff push. It’s worth noting that they have 3+ top 10 prospects that can play 2B, and are more of a darkhorse here.
Cincinnati Reds Get: RHP Jaden Hamm
Detroit Tigers Get: IF/DH Jonathan India
Boston Red Sox
Boston is one of the teams that needs some big time help at 2B for 2025, especially since it sounds like they’re going to be in the market of ALL the big time free agents and will get back to contending. Their depth chart at the position is very lackluster.
Now, they have a stud named Kristian Campbell that they lucked into but everything suggests him likely playing left field, so we’ll keep India in play here for them.
Boston Red Sox get: IF/DH Jonathan India
Cincinnati Reds get: SS Yoeilin Cespedes, C Johanfran Garcia
If there’s a time to move India, it sure feels like now. The Cincinnati Reds won’t just “give him away” like most think they would, they’ll still be seeking something that makes sense for their club. At the end of the day, having India around in what would be his 2nd full season since ROY completely healthy wouldn’t be the worst thing. The Reds are in no hurry to ship him out the door – it just makes sense to when you look at the depth chart and his contract obligations.
Any deal for India that doesn’t include a solid OF bat headed the Reds way is a non-starter.
You have a very high grade on India. In my head, we’d be trading him to shed some payroll thus the lower level intl guys