The Cincinnati Reds are surprising contenders at this point after a horrible 2022 season.
They are just half a game behind the Milwaukee Brewers for the NL Central lead with a solid 55-46 record.
The Reds are a good baseball club, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t flawed.
They have an exciting core of young position players who are already producing: Elly De La Cruz, Matt McLain, Jonathan India, Christian Encarnacion-Strand, Jake Fraley, Will Benson, Tyler Stephenson, and more, all led by veteran first baseman Joey Votto.
Their starting pitching, however, needs one or more impact arms, ideally.
Andrew Abbott is as good as advertised but Nick Lodolo and Hunter Greene are injured and there is not much depth after them.
According to MLB insider Mark Feinsand, the Reds are making one of their young stars available via trade in order to bring in a pitcher to Cincinnati.
“The Reds have told other teams they are willing to trade 2021 NL ROY Jonathan India for young, controllable starting pitching, per sources. Cincinnati has a glut of young infielders (Steer, De La Cruz, McLain, Encarnacion-Strand) with more on the way (Marte, Arroyo, Collier),” Feinsand tweeted.
The Reds have told other teams they are willing to trade 2021 NL ROY Jonathan India for young, controllable starting pitching, per sources. Cincinnati has a glut of young infielders (Steer, De La Cruz, McLain, Encarnacion-Strand) with more on the way (Marte, Arroyo, Collier).
— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) July 24, 2023
The Reds infield is crowded with talented performers, and India might be the worst of the bunch which is surprising given that he was the 2021 NL Rookie of the Year.
Still, the worst of the group doesn’t mean he is a bad player: it means that Cincinnati has a really talented infield.
For the season, India is slashing .251/.338/.411 with 14 home runs and 12 stolen bases in 100 games.
He has been basically average offensively (99 wRC+) but is 26 and has the potential for more than that.
The Reds are hoping they can acquire a good young pitcher with a package centered on India.
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