Still, the Reds could see any India trade offers as putting the cart before the horse. Prospect promotions could alter that calculus in the coming months or next year. There’s no reason for the Reds to move him off the keystone imminently. India is a productive hitter but has drawn below-average defensive grades from metrics like Defensive Runs Saved and Statcast’s Outs Above Average throughout his career. Edwin Arroyo isn’t hitting well in High-A but entered the year as a top 100 caliber prospect and is expected to stick at shortstop himself. 295/.369/.500 while playing shortstop in Double-A. Noelvi Marte - arguably the next-best prospect in the system - is hitting. 303/.401/.648 slash as a 21-year-old in his first crack at Triple-A. Elly De La Cruz, in the conversation for the top prospect in baseball, likely isn’t far behind while carrying a. 361/.426/.541 line over his first 68 plate appearances. He’s hit the ground running as the primary shortstop, posting a. The strength of Cincinnati’s minor league pipeline is the middle infield, leading the Reds to look into trading from that depth to address other areas of the farm system over the offseason.įormer first round pick Matt McLain reached the majors last month after tearing up Triple-A pitching. It’s not entirely outlandish for others teams to touch base with general manager Nick Krall and his front office, though. Given their post-’23 payroll flexibility and a farm system with plenty of upper minors talent, the Reds could more seriously angle for postseason contention as soon as next year.Īs arguably the club’s best position player, India could be a significant part of those efforts. Their 26-29 record is a little better than most outside observers likely anticipated, though they’re still a longshot to hang in the playoff mix all year. Even in a weak NL Central, the Reds aren’t expected to compete this season. There’s a straightforward case for Cincinnati to keep him around. The Reds have very little money on the books beyond this season and won’t have any issue accommodating India’s arbitration salaries. He’ll be eligible for arbitration at the end of the year and isn’t slated to reach free agency until after the 2026 campaign. India broke camp in 2021, giving him exactly two years of big league service entering this season. That’s not to say they’re completely opposed to talks - few players around the league are truly “untouchable” in negotiations - but reflects the lack of urgency for Cincinnati to make a deal. Jeff Passan of ESPN reported this morning the Reds are receiving trade interest in India but aren’t anxious to move him. Other clubs have unsurprisingly taken note. He’s also hitting the ball a fair bit harder than he did last season. He’s chasing fewer pitches outside the strike zone than ever and making contact on a career-high 83.7% of his swings. India’s walking at a quality 10.7% rate and has cut his strikeouts to a personal-low 18% clip. He’s always been a disciplined, high-contact hitter and he’s taken that to career-best heights. While he’s not hitting for a ton of over-the-fence power, India has taken a marked step forward in his strike zone coverage. He’s avoided the IL and been in the starting lineup for all but one of the Reds’ games thus far. He has a modest five home runs but is reliably reaching base at the top of the Cincinnati lineup. His 15 doubles are one shy of last year’s mark in a little over half the playing time. 282/.369/.426 batting line over 244 plate appearances. The first two months of this season have more closely resembled India’s rookie form. He spent some time on the injured list with hamstring issues and only hit. The 2021 NL Rookie of the Year had a down ’22 campaign. Reds second baseman Jonathan India is amidst a bounceback season.
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