The Kansas City Royals have sent veteran right-hander Brady Singer to the Cincinnati Reds in a Friday night trade, with infielder Jonathan India and outfielder Joey Wiemer headed to KC in the swap.
India entered Major League Baseball as a highly-decorated prospect out of the University of Florida, picked 5th overall by the Reds in the 2018 First-Year Player Draft. In 2024, the 27-year old played in a career-high 151 games, hitting .248 with 45 extra-base hits and a career-best 80 walks. The second baseman had the second best fielding percentage (.991) at his position in 2024. Ironically, India was a collegiate teammate of Brady Singer with the Gators.
Wiemer, a 4th round pick of the Milwaukee Brewers in 2020, played the majority of his games over the last two seasons in center field, with 123 games and 103 starts at that position. The former Cincinnati Bearcat opened last season in Milwaukee, but was traded on July 30th to the Reds with pitcher Jakob Junis for pitcher Frankie Montas. In 2023, Wiemer had 13 homers and 11 stolen bases in his rookie season with the Brewers. Struggling to find his footing in Cincinnati last season, Wiemer played only two games with the Reds before being sent down to AAA Louisville, where he played in 30 games over the final two months of the campaign.
Singer, the 28-year old sent to the National League, showed marked improvement in 2024 with the Royals, with 32 starts, 179 2/3 innings, and 170 strikeouts, all career highs. His 3.71 ERA was a 1.81 difference from his 2023 mark of 5.52, the second-best improvement in MLB. Singer was the 18th overall selection in the 2018 Draft, coming to Kansas City from the University of Florida.
