Because the Reds are loaded with up-and-coming young infield talent, has been seen a logical trade candidate since prior to summers trade deadline, and it po sible or even probable that the former NL Rookie of the Year could be moved this winter. However, Reds president of baseball operations Nick Krall threw some cold water on the concept of an India trade when speaking with and other reporters Friday, saying I wouldnt say we are motivated. If a deal comes around, we have to be open to anything. But just motivated to move players off your roster just because that guy might not fit (a specific spot). That doesnt make any sense . Naturally, some gamesmanship could be at work here. Openly admitting that India was being shopped would do nothing for the Reds leverage in trade talks, and it might not play well within the Cincinnati clubhouse since India is a beloved team leader. Kralls open to anything stance in regards is common within front offices around baseball since you never know when a rival team might unexpectedly make a big offer, yet while he didnt close the door on India being dealt, Krall also made several logical points about why the Reds would want to retain the second basemans services. For one, it wasnt long ago that India was seen as a key member of Cincinnatis rebuild, after capturing NL ROY honors in 2021. He has since been hampered by hamstring problems in 2022 and then a bout of plantar fasciitis in 2023, limiting him to 222 of a po sible 324 games and an uninspiring .246/.333/.394 slash line over 960 plate appearances. That works out to a 98 wRC+ over the last two seasons, and 1.7 fWAR total when also factoring in Indias subpar defensive numbers at second base. While the emergence of , , , , and has led to a crowded state in the Cincinnati infield, Krall disagreed with the concept that his team nece sarily even has a surplus. You look at our club, and I think most guys were injured at some point last year. So if you have a deep bench of guys that can play every day, thats not a fault in our roster. Thats a good thing , Krall said. I would welcome that, to have guys who have experience to be able to play multiple positions, to be able to step into a spot Yuta Watanabe Jersey and be a good player.[India is] a first-time arbitration-eligible player; weve got him under control for three more seasons. He fits our club. He fits our group . If you said, Hey, youve got guys coming behind him or youve got guys that are pushing him out or that he doesnt have a spot to play, thats one thing. But he does have a spot to play here. There are at-bats here. Are they going to be 650, 700 plate appearances in a season? No, but that also gives you the ability to give guys days off and keep guys fresh and healthy throughout the course of the year . Krall isnt wrong in extolling the benefits of depth, to say nothing of the fact that Steer (who debuted in 2022) is the only member of the younger group who has any big league experience prior to 2023. In the event of an injury or even just a sophomore slump from one or two members of the prospect core, and suddenly the Reds might go from a surplus to a bit of a shortage of reliable infield po sibilities. That being said, if depth is what the Reds want, they could also look to add another infielder for more of a clear backup role, while trading India for help elsewhere on the roster. While Indias fate is yet to be determined, the Reds did part ways with one infielder yesterday when wasnt tendered a contract before the Friday evening tender deadline. Krall told and other reporters that the Reds first explored trading Senzel, saying we talked to a handful of teams and obviously didnt find the interest to move him. So we decided this was probably best for our organization, to move on and let him find a place where he can play every day. Moreso than the $3MM salary Senzel was to earn in arbitration, the Senzel decision ultimately down to a roster crunch. As Krall put it, weve got seven infielders still on the 40-man. We looked at where Senzel was and it was a little bit of, How does all this work? It seems quite likely that Senzel will land a guaranteed contract with another team, and perhaps might yet be a late bloomer with a change of scenery heading into his age-29 season. Debuting in 2019 as one of baseballs top prospects, Senzel has a modest .239/.302/.369 slash line over 1366 career plate appearances. Health problems and a number of positional changes have marked Senzels career, which Krall acknowledged in making the tough non-tender choice. Marcus Camby Jersey