Wittenmyer & Williams: Why's Jonathan India still a Red? Here are reasons nobody's talking about

Wittenmyer & Williams – a point/counterpoint column from Enquirer Reds reporter Gordon Wittenmyer and columnist Jason Williams – hits the road this week as they meet up at spring training in Arizona.

Williams: Hey, great to join you here in the desert. And what do you know − Jonathan India’s still here, too. I thought they would’ve traded him by now.

Wittenmyer: That’s funny, he thought the same thing.

Williams: It doesn’t look like there’s anywhere for him to play with all these other young players and guys the Reds brought in this winter.

Wittenmyer: When I talked to him the other day, he and I both wondered the same thing. That’s why he’s taking reps in the outfield this spring. But who knows how David Bell fits him into an infield with more starters than positions and an outfield that might even be tighter.

Williams: So why is India even here then?

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Wittenmyer: Because right now he’s exactly the player they need to have in that clubhouse with this young group after Joey Votto left. He’s one of the most respected veteran guys left in that room. Not to mention a reliable productive bat in the lineup.

Williams: Right now is the key part of what you said. The Reds are afraid of not having India right now with all those young players and all that’s at stake this season. Huge risk. The Reds could have as many as eight position players make the roster who have no more than one full season in the big leagues. Just think about that.

Wittenmyer: That’s why Jeimer Candelario is here on a $45 million deal, and even Josh Harrison on that minor league deal.

Williams: Will they still need India by the end of the season? Or even by July?

Wittenmyer: Those are the right questions. I don’t even think India or team president Nick Krall knows the answer to that right now.

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Williams: So why did the Reds sign him to a two-year deal then? If they’re not sure they’ll still need him for those reasons months from now?

Wittenmyer: That’s the thing nobody’s talking about. India’s two-year deal doesn’t make it any less likely that he could be traded by this time next year. The Reds are paying India more this year ($3.8 million) than they intended through arbitration. But the $5 million in year 2 could make it a team-friendly contract by then. And he’s even got another year of club control after that.

Williams: In other words, he might be easier to trade?

Wittenmyer: A good 2024 season makes him even more valuable to other teams with that contract in place.

Williams: But back to right now, this doesn’t solve the problem: Too many players for not enough positions.

Wittenmyer: Hahahaha. I know you’ve been hanging out with Bearcats and the Bengals and chili parlors since we last were at a ballpark together, but this is baseball, son. I’ll believe they have too many players when I see it.

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Williams: Elly De La Cruz at shortstop. Matt McLain at second. Noelvi Marte at third. Christian Encarnacion-Strand at first. Spencer Steer in left. TJ Friedl in center. Will Benson, Jake Fraley – and we haven’t even mentioned where Candelario might fit.

Wittenmyer: I got two words: Stuff happens. McLain already has an oblique issue. Marte came to camp recovering from a hamstring injury. De La Cruz still needs to get off to a good start. No reason to think all these guys won’t be there ready for Opening Day on March 28. As soon as a team thinks it has too much depth, it often finds out it doesn’t have enough.

Williams: Wait. According to Twitter, you’ve already stuck De La Cruz at Triple-A.

Wittenmyer: I’ll tell you where you can stick Twitter along with the rest of the remedial-reading trolls.

Williams: All I know is I believe everything I see on Twitter. What a tremendous resource for truth and high-intellect debate. But anyway, I digress along with most of your great ideas. I know fans are worried about how all these positions are going to shake out, but the Reds aren’t.

Wittenmyer: Look, nobody in camp knows for sure how many guys will get how many games at some of these positions, especially when it comes to India. But they might have the right manager for the math problem. David Bell actually had a 10-man rotation for the nine positions in play at one point last season before injuries made it unnecessary.

Williams: Yeah, good point. Wait a minute, I just looked at the pitching roster. I just noticed Frankie Montas and Nick Martinez. I thought the Reds already had five starters. Do they have enough rotation spots for all those guys?

Wittenmyer: I didn’t even think of that. You know, with all those hitters and all those pitchers, I’m starting to wonder if the better question isn’t: Who’s your Game 1 starter?

Contact Gordon Wittenmyer at gwittenmyer@enquirer.com and on X @GDubMLB. Reach Jason Williams at jwilliams@enquirer.com

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Spring training: Exploring why Jonathan India's still in Cincinnati