KANSAS CITY -- The Royals have been clear that their priority this offseason was focusing on upgrading the offense, and their first big move to do so came on Friday when they acquired second baseman Jonathan India and outfielder Joey Wiemer from the Reds.

Heading to Cincinnati in the deal is starter Brady Singer, the Royals’ former first-round Draft pick and a cornerstone of their rotation for the past several years.

TRADE DETAILS
Royals get: 2B Jonathan India, OF Joey Wiemer
Reds get: RHP Brady Singer

India and Singer were once teammates at Florida and were both selected in the first round of the 2018 Draft, India by Cincinnati fifth overall and Singer by Kansas City 18th overall. The Royals have always been fond of India, and he was identified as a potential trade target during this past season, general manager J.J. Picollo said on Friday night. And the teams’ discussions to swap India and Singer began in earnest last weekend.

When Wiemer’s name was introduced as part of the potential package, the Royals felt comfortable closing the deal.

“Clearly, we were looking for a leadoff hitter,” Picollo said. “... We wanted to address on-base. We wanted somebody to provide consistency for us in that leadoff spot. And Jonathan’s going to do that. We were very happy to acquire him. And Joey Wiemer is another player that we’ve always thought very highly of, a highly touted prospect.”

Both Singer and India are under control for two more seasons; India is due $5 million in 2025 and is arbitration-eligible in ‘26, while Singer is projected to earn $8 million to $9 million in ’25 through arbitration and has another year of arb eligibility in ‘26.

India, who will turn 28 on Dec. 15, was the National League’s Rookie of the Year in 2021 and has been a key piece of the Reds’ infield for the past four years. He has a career .253/.352/.412 slash line, and in 2024, when he wasn’t totally healthy despite playing 151 games, he posted a .749 OPS with 15 home runs and 28 doubles.

The Royals’ offensive search included finding a leadoff hitter who could add on-base percentage to the lineup in front of No. 2 hitter Bobby Witt Jr., and India certainly fits that skill set. He’s spent more time at the top of the order (341 games) than any other spots (182 games in the other eight spots combined) in his career. He also has a .257/.360/.416 slash line batting first in the lineup over his career. In 2024, India posted a .357 OBP and walked at a 12.6 percent clip, which was tied for fourth best in baseball.

“It’s consistency,” Picollo said. “If you look across his four years in the Major Leagues, he’s always gotten on base at a really good rate. … His style of hitting, his batted-ball profile is going to lend itself well to more doubles in our ballpark, which is the kind of game we want to play. It’s getting guys on base in front of Bobby, in front of Vinnie [Pasquantino].”

Where India fits defensively is yet to be determined. He has only played second base in his MLB career, but he could have the ability to play third base and outfield. The Royals will discuss his fit, along with returning second baseman Michael Massey’s, throughout this offseason. Massey talked with Picollo this season about learning left field as a way to increase his versatility and brought up the conversation again following the Royals’ playoff exit in the American League Division Series.

The Royals will also rely on infielder Maikel Garcia’s defensive versatility to help the lineup puzzle in ‘25.

“Knowing the athletic ability that [India] has, the ability that Michael Massey has, Maikel Garcia has, this was about lengthening our lineup and putting somebody at the top,” Picollo said.

Wiemer, who turns 26 on Feb. 11, made his debut in 2023 with the Brewers and was traded to the Reds in ’24 as part of the deal that sent Frankie Montas to Milwaukee. Wiemer is primarily a center fielder but has played all three outfield positions in the Minors and Majors.

After spending the majority of 2023 in the Majors with the Brewers -- where he posted a .645 OPS with 13 home runs -- Wiemer was in Triple-A for most of ’24 both with Milwaukee and Cincinnati. Across the two organizations, he slashed .224/.351/.312. Kyle Isbel will still get the majority of at-bats in center field for Kansas City, but Wiemer will compete for a fourth outfielder spot in Spring Training and is viewed as more of a long-term acquisition with his untapped upside.

Dealing Singer away hurts the Royals, but he was their main trade candidate as a durable, controllable starter. The 28-year-old was the first of the Royals’ college pitching-heavy 2018 Draft class to reach the Majors and stick there, accumulating 8.9 bWAR as a Royal and pitching to a 4.28 ERA across 127 games (124 starts) over the past five years. In 2024, he posted a 3.71 ERA across 32 starts and 179 2/3 innings.

“Brady’s a tremendous competitor,” Picollo said. “This was not the easiest decision to make. You got a guy who takes the ball, wants to win, he’s been through the tough times and now the good times.”

But to get Major League talent, the Royals had to trade Major League talent. Parting with a starter to acquire a leadoff hitter – their No. 1 need – plus an upside young player was “a risk worth taking,” Picollo said.

Cole Ragans, Seth Lugo and Michael Wacha will return as the Royals’ top starters in 2025. To fill out the rest of the rotation, they will lean on their depth: Alec Marsh, Kris Bubic, Daniel Lynch IV, Kyle Wright and prospect Noah Cameron.

Or perhaps they’ll seek an addition now that a huge box is checked on their offseason to-do list.

That possibility, as well as adding another hitter, was left wide open by Picollo on Friday night.

“It’s Nov. 22, and we’ve got a long way to go until we get to Spring Training,” Picollo said. “We haven’t even gotten to the Winter Meetings yet. There are going to be things that develop, and we’re just going to keep being creative and open-minded and evaluate whatever may come our way.”