Here’s the thing about trades: sometimes they make perfect sense but nonetheless turn out poorly for at least one team.
That’s the case with the Jonathan India trade. J.J. Picollo and the Royals front office
had the right idea when they acquired India (and Joey Wiemer, who has since been cut from the organization) from the Cincinnati Reds for Brady Singer. Unfortunately, it hasn’t yet worked out for Kansas City.
Last offseason, after the re-signing of Michael Wacha, the Royals found themselves awash in the currency of baseball: pitching. Wisely, they decided to take some of that surplus and dangle it in a trade for something the team lacked: offense.
Of course, I’m not privy to trade conversations between Major League Baseball teams, but I imagine Picollo & Co. did more than call teams down the line, starting with the Arizona Diamondbacks, but stopped once they reached the Reds. This wasn’t a first-team-who-wants-him-gets-him type of deal. Singer had value.
The fact that the Royals agreed to a deal for India is telling. For starters, India has never come close to achieving the numbers he posted during his rookie season in 2021, which earned him NL Rookie of the Year honors. Even his 2024 numbers, which improved upon his 2023 numbers, weren’t tantalizing. During his final season with the Reds, who play in a much more hitter-friendly home park than do the Royals, India slashed .248/.357/.392. Respectable, barely—that’s good enough for an OPS five percent better than league-average.
Did the Royals front office really think those numbers would improve when replacing half his games from Cincinnati for half in Kansas City? That’s a bit of a tough pill to swallow. If Picollo was banking on India regaining his Rookie-of-the-Year form, I’d love to know why.
Because, obviously, that didn’t happen. Instead, India has posted the worst OPS of his career—even worse than his sophomore season in which, by bWAR, he was below replacement-level (-0.3). That season, his OPS was at least above .700. As of now, with a mere handful of games remaining, India’s slashing .235/.326/.343 for an OPS of .668.
Not good!
One of the reasons why the Royals chose India was because they were looking for a leadoff hitter. J.J. Picollo is quoted saying exactly that in this MLB.com article about the trade: “Clearly, we were looking for a leadoff hitter.” He added, “We wanted somebody to provide consistency for us in that leadoff spot. And Jonathan’s going to do that.”
I’m guessing Picollo said that because India’s .357 OBP in 2024 would’ve ranked second on the Royals behind only Bobby Witt Jr.’s .389.
Unfortunately, India did not provide consistency in the leadoff spot.
He led off 103 games for the Royals this season before losing the job. In those games, he slashed .236/.322/.337 over 398 at-bats. When actually leading off games, he slashed .191/.262/.266.
Not good!
The Royals’ coaching staff also didn’t really know where to put him on the diamond. After playing only second base (or DH) for the Reds, for the Royals, India appeared in games at second, DH, third base, and left field. At the time of the trade, India seemed an odd fit for the Royals, who had Maikel Garcia at third (meh), Massey at second, and others seemingly capable of playing DH and left. And an odd fit he’s been, playing all over the place. It would be one thing if he’s played well all over the place, but that hasn’t been the situation.
I wonder if the Royals passed up on trading Singer for better hitters who were pigeonholed into playing one position in order to acquire India, whom they knew they’d be moving around. If so, that was a mistake. Again, I don’t know.
What I know is that Singer pitched well last season. No, it wasn’t his best season in a Royals uniform, but it was close, and he’s progressed his first season in Cincinnati. Theoretically, had plenty of trade value, especially since he’s still under team control for 2026.
For that matter, India also has one year left of arbitration. Is that part of the reason the Royals traded Singer for him as opposed to someone else—that he was controllable for the same number of years as Singer? If so, considering things as they currently are, that seems a mistake.
As I’m typing this, I have numerous different windows open, and one is on the Wild Card standings for all of the Majors. The Reds have recently surged, powering their way into a tie with the Mets for the third and final Wild Card in the National League. They’re only two games better than the Royals but in much better standing to make the playoffs.
Another thing in this window: runs scored. The Royals have only scored 616 runs this season, better than only the 43-113 Rockies and the 67-89 Pirates. The Royals have only surrendered 618 runs this season, better than every other team except the 86-71 Padres and 95-62 Brewers.
Before the season, the Royals had pitching and needed offense.
With six games left in the season, that hasn’t changed.
Credit to the Royals front office for correctly recognizing what it had and what it needed and making a deal, but points deducted for landing the wrong player.
Let’s try it again this offseason.
