When the Cincinnati Reds flipped a popular clubhouse figure for innings, it was met with mixed reactions. Trading offense for a mid-rotation arm is never sexy, and shipping Jonathan India to Kansas City for Brady Singer felt, at the time, like a cold, analytical bet that might sting in the short term. But roster building is about anticipating who a player will be next, not who he was yesterday. Cincinnati wagered that stable, reliable starting pitching would pay a bigger dividend than a bat trending down with no clear defensive home. They were right.
Zoom out, and the logic looks even sharper.