2 contract extensions the Reds should make soon and 1 they should avoid

Reds should avoid signing Jonathan India to a contract extension for now.

A year ago, every Reds fan would probably have been clamoring for Jonathan India to be the player that Cincinnati should build around after Joey Votto hangs up his cleats. What a difference a year makes, huh?

Now, that's not to say that India is a bad player or isn't the same player who won NL Rookie of the Year in 2021. But an injury-plagued season combined with the depth of infielders currently in the Reds farm system certainly raises questions about India's future in the Queen City.

India suffered a hamstring injury in April last year that seemed to linger throughout the entire season. The Reds second baseman was also drilled in the leg by a fastball during the Field of Dreams Game against the Chicago Cubs and had to be airlifted to a local hospital. That injury also took a toll on India over the second-half of the 2022 season.

There's also the below-average defense that India played last season. Many metrics saw a downturn in his production and with the defensive shift being eliminated in 2023, questions about his ability to hold down the fort at second base have risen to the surface as well.

Jonathan India could still be a huge part of the Cincinnati Reds' future. He's the type of gritty, hard-nosed, blue-collar ballplayer that Reds Country loves to cheer for. But before the team goes all-in and inks the former University of Florida star to a huge contract extension, perhaps it would be best to allow India to return to form in 2023. If he does, then the two sides can start talking dollars and cents.