Padres-Marlins Luis Arráez trade reveals how valuable Jonathan India is to the Reds

The San Diego Padres and Miami Marlins pulled off a blockbuster trade this past weekend. Two-time batting champion and former All-Star Luis Arráez was dealt to the Padres in exchange for three prospects and reliever Woo Suk Go. The Marlins also sent cash considerations to the Friars as part of the package.

There aren't many comps when it comes to Arráez. If you're looking for a player who doesn't strikeout, has a great understanding of the strike zone, and consistently puts the ball in play, Arráez is your guy.

But if you look at some of the numbers, you'll see that Cincinnati Reds infielder Jonathan India matches up well with Arráez in a lot of categories. These two have a lot in common, and is shows why the Reds hold India in such high esteem.

Padres-Marlins Luis Arráez trade reveals how valuable Jonathan India is to the Reds

Now the first thing casual fans will do is put Arráez's career .324 batting average side-by-side with India's .253 and say there's no way that the two players are even close to comparable. There's certainly truth in that statement, but going beyond just the simple numbers will show that India and Arráez have more in common than one might think.

Arráez's 9.3% whiff rate is among the best in baseball, but India isn't far behind at 16.2%. And when it comes to chase rate, India is among the best in the game at 15.4%. Arráez's (32.5%) chase rate is fairly high for a player with such a great approach in the batters' box.

India also draws considerably more walks than Arráez with a walk-rate (14.3%) nearly 10 points higher than the new Padres infielder. Arráez, however, doesn't strikeout near as much as India. The two-time Silver Slugger Award-winner owns a minute 6.7% strikeout rate compared to India's 19% K-rate.

There were numerous Jonathan India trade rumors this past offseason

Neither player, however, offers much in terms in average exit velocity, barrel rate, and hard-hit rate. According to Baseball Savant, both India and Arráez rank among the 15th percentile or worse in all three categories. Both players are also subpar defenders. India's -1 outs above average (OAA) is not good, but Arráez's -8 OAA is among the worst in baseball.

India had a rough start to the season, hitting just .159 through his first 79 at-bats and missing time due to illness. But since April 19th, India is hitting .310/.383/.405 with a 14.9% strikeout rate and 125 wRC+ according to FanGraphs.

There are surefire differences between India and Arráez, but there's plenty of similarities as well. India was the subject of numerous trade rumors this offseason, but the Reds ultimately stood firm in their desire to keep the second baseman in Cincinnati. So far, it seems like a wise choice.

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