A Yankees-Reds trade for Jonathan India to solve all of Aaron Boone’s problems

The New York Yankees' recent struggles continued in a big way, as they were swept on their home field by the Cincinnati Reds. They're still sitting comfortably in a postseason spot as of now, but the weaknesses on this team are very clear.

Adding at least one reliever feels like a must at this point. The same can be said about them adding an infielder.

The Yankees could look to the Reds as a potential trade partner with Jonathan India front and center. The Yankees saw what India could do in the final game of the series, as he went 3-for-5 with a home run in Cincinnati's win.

Jon Heyman of the NY Post happens to link New York to India as the trade deadline approaches.

"The Yankees are focusing on pitching, especially the bullpen. But two potential positional fits are the Reds’ Jonathan India and Angels’ Luis Rengifo — who can both play all around the infield, an area of considerable question. India, who’s red-hot, is beloved by Cincinnati for his leadership."

A Yankees-Reds trade to get New York much-needed infield help

India got off to a slow start to his season after being in trade rumors virtually all offseason, but has been one of the hottest hitters in baseball since the start of June. The 27-year-old is slashing .369/.451/.583 with three home runs, 17 RBI, and 13 doubles in his last 30 games. He'd provide a big boost to a reeling lineup in desperate need of more length.

India won't come cheap, especially considering he'd come with an extra year of club control, but the Yankees have more than enough to get a deal done.

The fit with India in New York is a questionable one at best, as he is a second baseman. That's the only position he has played in his four-year MLB career. With that being said, though, India was primarily a third baseman in the minor leagues. The Yankees might consider using him at the hot corner just to improve their offense while Gleyber Torres remains at the keystone.

In this deal, the Yankees would also acquire Lucas Sims, a reliever who is in his final year of club control and has a 3.86 ERA in 34 appearances. The Yankees bullpen could use more help, and Sims would provide that.

The return for this package would be a substantial one for Cincinnati with Brock Selvidge, a top-10 prospect in New York's system according to MLB Pipeline, heading the package. Selvidge has a 3.95 ERA in 15 starts for AA Somerset this season and could be an arm the Reds look at as a potential contributor in late 2025 or early 2026.

Another piece Cincinnati would acquire would be Jorbit Vivas, a player acquired from the Dodgers this past offseason who has a .400 OBP in AAA. The third player acquired would be Jack Neely, a reliever who has a combined 2.48 ERA in AA and AAA this season, striking out 57 batters in just 36.1 innings of work. Both Vivas and Neely could contribute in the majors sometime in the not-too-distant future.

Trading India is probably not something Cincinnati would consider right now when they're just three games under the .500 mark, but if they take a step back before the deadline they could easily consider it, especially because Matt McLain is set to make his season debut sometime in the second half. FanGraphs only gives them an 11.4 percent chance to make the postseason, so it's not a major stretch to assume Cincinnati would consider trading him.

The return would have to be worth their while, and these three prospects could be good enough for Reds president of baseball operations Nick Krall to consider. With Aaron Boone needing a better option than DJ LeMahieu at the hot corner and to hit in front of Juan Soto and Aaron Judge, India makes so much sense and is worth the asking price.