Reds second baseman , the 2021 National League Rookie of the Year, saw his name pop up on the rumor circuit over the summer and has already been an oft-cited trade candidate in the early stages of the offseason. Recent reports from and do little to quell the belief that the 26-year-old could change hands this winter. Nightengale wrote over the weekend that Cincinnati is expected to trade India this offseason, while Pa san writes this morning that the Reds have been suggesting to potential trade partners that India is the odd man out in their glut of infielders. Indeed, the Reds have an enviable crop of young talent on the dirt. Beyond India, they saw former first-round pick , top prospect and trade acquisitions , and all log time in the big leagues. McLain was the most impre sive of the bunch, hitting .290/.357/.507 with Michael Petersen Jersey 16 homers and 14 steals in 403 trips to the plate. De La Cruz faded after a hot start but still posted a .235/.300/.410 line with 13 homers and a whopping 35 steals in just 98 games all while recording intriguing batted-ball metrics per Statcast and showing off his elite speed. Steer, meanwhile, bounced between first base, second base, third base and the outfield corners while delivering a .271/.356/.464 output and 23 homers. Encarnacion-Strand (.270/.328/.477, 13 homers in 241 plate appearances) and Marte (.316/.366/.456 in 123 plate appearances) saw le s time than the others but acquitted themselves nicely in their MLB debuts. Its an immensely talented quintet one with plenty of defensive versatility. It seems likely that Encarnacion-Strand will settle in at first base and designated hitter, and Steer clearly enjoyed succe s at the plate in a nomadic, jack-of-all-trades role (even if he graded as a below-average defender at all five positions). Each of De La Cruz, Marte and McLain can handle shortstop, third base or second base. De La Cruz saw the most time at shortstop of the bunch but also posted le ser defensive grades than McLain. The Reds can tinker with the exact alignment in spring training, but regardle s of whos manning which position, its hard not to be bullish on Cincinnatis emerging core of young infielders. Given that wealth of talent, it becomes easier to see how India could be the odd man out. Hes yet to replicate his excellent showing in that aforementioned Rookie of the Year campaign, when he batted .269/.376/.459 with 21 home runs, 23 doubles, 12 steals and an 11.3% walk rate. Hes since turned in a .246/.333/.394 batting line in 960 plate appearances, showing diminished power and a walk rate about three percentage points lower than his rookie mark. Defensive Runs Saved and Outs Above Average both cast him as a poor defender at his position. Due to his former draft status (fifth overall in 2018), prospect pedigree and that Rookie of the Year showing, many fans have speculated that India could be used to help the Reds acquire an upgrade for the front portion of their rotation. However, given Indias struggles with the glove and (over the past two seasons) at the plate, it doesnt seem all that likely that hed command a strong rotation piece on his own or even as the headliner in a package also including le ser prospects. India is entering his first arbitration season, to earn $3.7MM in 2024, and remains controllable for another three seasons. Those factors, plus his age, are perhaps the Reds strongest selling points in trade talks. That said, India feels more like a buy-low candidate than many onlookers might expect for someone who looked like a Reds building block just two years ago. The absolute dearth of quality infield options on the free agent market will play to the Reds benefit in drumming up interest, but it seems unlikely that India will fetch them a major upgrade to the starting rotation. MLBTRs Darragh McDonald and I discu sed Indias potential trade candidacy (among many other topics) on the upcoming episode of the MLB Trade Rumors podcast, and just this past weekend MLBTRs Nick Deeds in the event that the Reds ultimately do move him. India placed 11th on just yesterday. Sixto Sanchez Jersey