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MLB Rumors: Red Sox trade for Jonathan India on the table to address 2B
Make no mistake, offense was rarely the problem for the Boston Red Sox in the 2023 season. As such, the top offseason priority for the new top decision-maker at Fenway, Craig Breslow, will be to upgrade the pitching. But if the right opportunity to upgrade a weak area of the roster elsewhere arises, an aggressive newcomer might be too enticed to pass that up.
Such an opportunity may now be presenting itself to Breslow and the Red Sox now.
According to ESPN MLB insider Jeff Passan, Cincinnati Reds second baseman and former NL Rookie of the Year Jonathan India is a major trade candidate this offseason. With the Reds having a surplus of young infielders -- too many to fill four spots -- they could look to trade one and India is the most obvious candidate. In fact, Passan reported, "Other teams believe it's more a matter of when, not if, India will move."
That should intrigue the Red Sox, a club that had a revolving door at second base throughout that season. Whether Pablo Reyes, Christian Arroyo, Enmanuel Valdez, Luis Urias or even a few others over the course of the 2023 season, there was no consistent answer at the position. India could possibly provide that for them.
Over three seasons with the Reds, India has a slash line of .255/.350/.419, averaging 16 home runs, 24 doubles and 57 RBI with 10 stolen bases per season. Those averages are a bit depressed though after missing 59 games in 2022 and 43 games this past year.
Even still, his presence in the Red Sox lineup would provide a tremendous boost and fill a major hole, especially with his defensive prowess. And if the price is right for a trade, Boston has the ammo in its farm system to get such a deal done.