Royals major offseason trade looks even more mediocre after latest waiver casualty

The Kansas City Royals swung an intriguing deal to kick off their offseason last winter when they subtracted from their strong rotation in order to beef up the top half of the lineup, trading Brady Singer to the Cincinnati Reds in order to bring in Jonathan India.

Singer was coming off a career-revitalizing 2024 season where he pitched to a 3.71 ERA following a mid-5.00s mark the year prior. This made him a coveted piece for a team like the Reds who were willing to part aways their leadoff hitter and former NL Rookie of the Year in India.

However, this trade was not a flat out one-for-one, as there was another part of this deal that can often be overlooked. In addition to India, the Royals also received young former big leaguer Joey Wiemer from Cincinnati.

But after the Royals designated him for assignment on Friday in order to make room on their roster for their new trade deadline acquisitions, the team announced they lost him altogether after he was claimed off waivers by the Miami Marlins on Monday.

Marlins claiming Joey Wiemer latest chapter in Royals-Reds trade saga

Now, was Wiemer performing well before the was DFA'd? No. There was certainly a reason as to why he fell out favor with Kansas City, enough to warrant his 40-man removal. In 72 games in Triple-A Omaha, the 26-year-old was slashing just .182/.291/.312 with nine homers, 38 RBI and a 60 wRC+.

However, while the Royals may not exactly be devastated that they lost Wiemer to the Marlins, it's undoubtedly somewhat of a black eye on this trade to no longer have him within their system.

While the Reds may not exactly be winning this deal, as Singer is throwing to just 4.36 ERA, 1.31 WHIP and .243 BAA in 2025, it means India is all that's left to show for this deal on KC's end.

And India hasn't exactly lit the world on fire in his debut season in Kansas City. While he has provided some stability in the leadoff role this season, he's only managed to slash just .240/.324/.342 this season with an 87 wRC+ and -0.5 fWAR. Not exactly the 109 wRC+ and 2.9 fWAR hitter from 2024 they thought they were getting back in November.

The Royals rotation has fared well without the likes of Singer, and even if he's been a below average hitter this season, they're likely happy to have a hitter with India's upside in the fold.

And on the Reds' side of things, with Matt McLain returning from injury this season, the need for India at second was no longer strong and Cincinnati has become a legitimate postseason threat this season without him.

At the end of the day though, while neither team is likely looking for a do-over on this deal, it hasn't nearly had the impact many likely thought it would after it was made this winter.