Santiago Espinal's emergence makes impending Reds' offseason decision incredibly easy

The Cincinnati Reds allowed the MLB trade deadline to pass last month without dealing second baseman Jonathan India. While teams were rumored to be interested in trading for the former NL Rookie of the Year, Reds President of Baseball Operations Nick Krall ultimately decided to keep India on the roster.

But India's spot may not be guaranteed for much longer. There were already whispers of a potential trade involving the Reds' second baseman this past winter, and the increased intrigue prior to the July 30th deadline is likely to carry over into the offseason.

Though India signed a contract two-year contract extension in February, the 27-year-old infielder is actually under team control through the 2026 season. While Spencer Steer drew a start at second base on Monday night, it's Santiago Espinal's presence on the Reds roster that will enable Cincinnati to trade India during the offseason.

Santiago Espinal's emergence makes trading Jonathan India all the more likely this offseason

Make no mistake, India is fine ball player, but he's also incredibly streaky and represents a redundancy on the Reds' roster. In addition to Espinal and Steer, injured infielder Matt McLain can also play second base. Edwin Arroyo, the Reds' top infield prospect, could get a look at the position as well.

But it's Espinal's standing with the club that will provide enough depth for Cincinnati to shop India this winter. While a number of Reds fans assumed India would be shown the door this offseason —especially after signing Jeimer Candelario — it's a good thing Cincinnati kept the University of Florida alum around. McLain has been out since Opening Day with a shoulder injury and Noelvi Marte missed the first 80 games due a suspension.

Espinal, like India, is under team control through 2026. But the slick-fielding 29-year-old offers more positional versatility than India. Espinal can not only play second base, but third base and shortstop as well. Espinal is also a far superior defender. While Espinal has been worth 0 defensive runs saved this season, India is worth -9 DRS according to Fielding Bible.

Santiago Espinal has been one of the Reds best hitters since the All-Star break

Espinal has also been swinging a hot-bat of late. Since the calendar flipped to July, Espinal is hitting .414/.443/.690 with eigh extra-base hits, including four round-trippers. During that same span, India is hitting just .180/.292/.320 with four home runs of his own and only nine extra-base hits in more than twice the number of at-bats.

It was already assumed heading into the 2024 season that India's standing with the Reds was on shaky ground, but even with McLain having missed all of his second major league season to this point, the Reds have to feel good about their infield depth with Espinal in the mix.

Espinal's emergence will make trading India, not only more likely this offseason, but also more palatable. There are a number of Reds fans who won't want to hear this, but India's name will be mentioned in trade rumors almost as soon as the 2024 season comes to a close. This winter, those rumors are much more likely to become reality.

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