The Reds made a big swing last spring - and missed - in their attempt to lock down Elly De La Cruz with a long-term extension. According to team president of baseball operations Nick Krall, Cincinnati offered De La Cruz a deal that would’ve made him the highest-paid player in franchise history, surpassing even Joey Votto’s 10-year, $225 million contract.
That’s not a small offer. That’s the kind of money you put on the table when you believe you’ve found your franchise cornerstone.
“We made Elly an offer that would’ve made him the highest-paid Red ever,” Krall said. “That’s not where he is and you respect that.
It’s their career.” It’s a respectful, matter-of-fact acknowledgment from Krall - the team made its pitch, and De La Cruz, represented by agent Scott Boras, chose to wait.
De La Cruz, for his part, kept things simple at Redsfest, saying he leaves the contract talks to his agent.
And you can understand why the Reds were eager to get ahead of the curve.
De La Cruz had just wrapped up his first full MLB season, and it was electric. He launched 25 home runs, led the majors with 67 stolen bases, and slashed .259/.339/.471 across nearly 700 plate appearances.
A switch-hitting shortstop with elite speed and serious pop, he delivered the kind of tools-heavy production that front offices dream about. At just 22 years old, he finished in the top 10 of NL MVP voting - and that’s after entering the season as one of the most hyped prospects in baseball.
Cincinnati saw enough to believe he’s the face of the franchise. And they were ready to pay him like it.
Now, to put this in context: offering De La Cruz a deal north of Votto money would’ve set a new benchmark for players with less than two years of service time. That’s rare territory.
Julio Rodríguez’s extension with the Mariners technically holds the record, with a $210 million base that could balloon to nearly half a billion through incentives and options. Fernando Tatis Jr. got $340 million over 14 years.
Bobby Witt Jr. signed for nearly $289 million over 11 years. These are massive bets on young stars who hadn’t even hit arbitration yet.
Krall didn’t say exactly how the Reds’ offer to De La Cruz stacked up against those deals. But the comparison to Witt is worth noting.
When Witt signed his extension after the 2023-24 offseason, he was coming off a .276/.319/.495 season with 30 homers and 49 steals - a strong offensive season from a former top prospect who, like De La Cruz, projected as a franchise shortstop. Witt’s deal also included four opt-outs, giving him flexibility to hit free agency in his early 30s.
De La Cruz, for now, is betting on himself. That’s not unusual for Boras clients, especially pre-arbitration players.
He played on a league-minimum salary last year and will do the same this season. He becomes arbitration-eligible next winter and is under team control through 2029, hitting free agency at age 28 - prime years for a big-money deal.
As for his second season? It came with a few more bumps.
De La Cruz still hit .264 with 22 home runs and 37 steals, but his slugging dipped and he wasn’t quite the same baserunning threat. His first-half numbers were strong - a .284/.359/.495 line with 25 steals heading into the All-Star break - but a strained left quad and late-season fatigue clearly took a toll.
He hit just .236/.303/.363 in the second half, though he still started all but one game as the Reds pushed for a playoff spot.
None of that changes how the Reds view him. They’re still all-in on De La Cruz as their shortstop, even as he led the majors in errors for the second straight season. The arm strength is undeniable, the athleticism is off the charts, and if he can clean up the defensive miscues, the ceiling is sky-high.
Cincinnati will likely revisit extension talks this spring. Whether a deal gets done is anyone’s guess - Boras clients tend to take things year by year - but one thing’s clear: De La Cruz remains the most important piece in the Reds’ long-term puzzle.
He’s already a star. If he stays healthy and continues to grow, he could be one of the defining players of this next generation.