Preposterous trade proposal greatly overvalues Reds' infielder Jonathan India

Buckle up, Reds fans. With the MLB offseason almost officially upon us, the Reds rumors will be flying in from all directions.

One player who's bound to be at the center of trade rumors throughout the 2023-24 offseason is Jonathan India. There were whispers that the Cincinnati Reds infielder was available at the August 1st trade deadline, so those rumors will only intensify into the offseason.

It makes sense. After so many young players debuted in 2023, the Reds have an excess of infielders and could deal from a position of strength in order to shore up one of their weaknesses; namely, the starting rotation.

Preposterous trade proposal greatly overvalues Reds' infielder Jonathan India

Bleacher Report contributor Joel Rueter just released one trade prediction for every MLB team during the 2023-24 offseason. Unsurprisingly, India was selected as the lone Reds player to be dealt away this winter.

While that's not overly surprising, the assumed return for the young infielder is. The hyopthetical trade would send India to the Chicago White Sox in exchange for right-handed starter Dylan Cease. Forgive me, but that's downright laughable!

If Reds President of Baseball Operations Nick Krall is able to swing that deal this offseason, sign me up. However, in order to secure Cease this winter, the Reds are going to have to send India plus some high-level prospect to the Windy City.

This isn't meant to disparage Jonathan India. The former first-round pick has been a fine player and tremendous presence in the clubhouse and the dugout for the Reds since his debut in 2021. But Cease is on another level.

Cease, who has two years of team-control remaining, is exactly the type of player the Cincinnati Reds should be targeting in trade talks this offseason. Though he has a down-year in 2023, the right-hander owns a 3.83 ERA and would be the unquestioned Opening Day starter for the Reds in 2024.

Reds fans should not dismiss the idea of the idea of trading for Dylan Cease. It's actually a very good concept. But to think that the Reds and White Sox would simply do a one-for-one swap is preposterous.