Reds star Jonathan India sends clear message to management

The Cincinnati Reds have been mediocre for a long time. But last season, they showed untold potential with the debuts of stars like Matt McLain and Elly De La Cruz. Yet Cincinnati hovers around .500 and collapses by the end of the year. It’s the same story, year after year.

But Cincinnati appears to be taking its franchise in a different direction. They recently announced they would be firing manager David Bell and looking for a new manager in the offseason.

Even though the players, for the most part, liked Bell, it’s hard to ignore the fact that Cincinnati had become a consistent loser in the league.

And everyone in the Queen City has had enough.

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One of the team’s most outspoken leaders, second baseman Jonathan India, recently spoke out on the subject. India is one of the team’s most respected players and is often considered the heart of the Reds.

“We’re tired of losing,” India said. “It’s the same thing every year here. We’re hovering around .500 and trying to get things done, but we don’t have enough. We have to do something. I know what it is, but I just want to tell the media.”

India is a lot like what every Reds fan says on social media.

And he is absolutely right.

The Reds need to add more talent. They have a great core of young players and other talent coming up through the minor leagues, but they need to take a step forward to get to the next level.

Injuries played a role in Cincinnati’s downfall this year. Matt McLain, Christian Encarnacion-Strand and a few other talented players were forced to miss a good portion of the season due to injuries, while Noelvi Marte missed the first half of the season due to a doping suspension.

Cincinnati has an absolute superstar on their hands in Elly De La Cruz. De La Cruz is a game changer and he’s also a fan favorite. He may only be in Cincinnati for the next five or six years, so the Reds need to do everything they can to try to win now. If they wait too long, their generational superstar could be in a different uniform, forcing them to rebuild.