Kyle Farmer cites these 2 Reds as the future leaders in the clubhouse

Kyle Farmer, who played shortstop for the past two seasons in the Queen City, is now part of the Minnesota Twins organization. Farmer was traded last month to the Land of 10,000 Lakes in exchange for a pitching prospect.

But Farmer doesn't seem to hold any ill-will toward the Cincinnati Reds. In a recent sit down with Cincinnati Enquirer beat reporter Charlie Goldsmith, Farmer expressed his appreciation and love for manager David Bell and the city of Cincinnati.

Farmer was one of the leaders on last year's team, and with every veteran sans Joey Votto and Mike Moustakas, no longer on the Reds roster, the clubhouse seems to be devoid of much leadership. But Farmer cited two players whom he believes will lead the Cincinnati Reds into the future.

Kyle Farmer cites Jonathan India and Tyler Stephenson as the Reds leaders.

The Cincinnati Reds are rebuilding. That's obvious. Joey Votto and Mike Moustakas are the only players on the Reds rosters whose contracts are guaranteed for next season. Heading into 2024, Cincinnati will have no guaranteed contracts on the books.

When asked about the leadership in the clubhouse moving forward, Kyle Farmer cited two third-year players are key pieces heading into the 2023 season. Here's a quote from Farmer's conversation with Charlie Goldsmith of the Cincinnati Enquirer:

"(Stephenson) is going to be the guy that is going to be the quiet leader. He's going to be the one that's going to lead by example. Jon's going to be the vocal leader in that locker room. I think Jon, after being around him for two, two-and-a-half years, he'll be just fine. Jon is the man."

Kyle Farmer, former Reds SS

Both Jonathan India and Tyler Stephenson shined during their rookie campaigns in 2021. India won the NL Rookie of the Year and the Reds' brass was so impressed with what they saw from Stephenson that the team felt comfortable trading longtime backstop Tucker Barnhart during the offseason.

But injuries really took both players off course in 2022. India had multiple stints on the IL in 2023 and never really looked comfortable in the batters' box or in the field. Stephenson suffered three separate injuries, and a broken collarbone shelved the Reds' catcher for the second-half of the season.

Both Jonathan India and Tyler Stephenson head into the 2023 season as the unquestioned leaders of the Cincinnati Reds. While next year might represent Joey Votto's swan song in a Reds uniform, it also represents an opportunity for the duo of India and Stephenson to seize the leadership role going forward and propel the Redlegs into the future.