Elly De La Cruz Turns Down Record-Setting Reds Extension Offer
CINCINNATI - The Cincinnati Reds made a bold move last spring, offering Elly De La Cruz a contract extension that would have rewritten the franchise record books - surpassing even Joey Votto’s landmark 10-year, $225 million deal from 2012. But De La Cruz, one of the most electrifying young players in baseball, said no.
“We made Elly an offer that would’ve made him the highest-paid Red ever,” said Reds president of baseball operations Nick Krall. “That’s not where he is and you respect that.
It’s their career. You keep going and you keep working on what you can do today.”
De La Cruz, who just turned 24, isn’t in a rush. He’s not even arbitration-eligible until 2027 and won’t hit free agency until after the 2029 season. That gives both sides time - but also underscores just how much faith the Reds have in their young shortstop to offer him a deal of that magnitude this early.
At Redsfest, De La Cruz kept it simple when asked about the negotiations: “I let my agent take care of all of that.”
That agent is Scott Boras, known for guiding his clients to the open market rather than locking them into early extensions. Boras hasn’t publicly responded to the Reds’ offer, but the playbook is familiar - and it’s worked before.
Around the league, we’ve seen a wave of young stars commit to their teams early. Kansas City’s Bobby Witt Jr., another dynamic shortstop in a small market, inked an 11-year, $288.8 million extension in early 2024.
Corbin Carroll locked in with Arizona for eight years and $111 million in 2023. Even the A’s, not exactly known for big spending, signed left fielder Tyler Soderstrom to a seven-year, $86 million deal this past offseason - a contract that could climb to $131 million with escalators and a club option.
And then there’s Ronald Acuña Jr., who set the tone back in 2019 with an eight-year, $100 million extension with Atlanta - a deal that still includes two club options through 2028. That contract now looks like one of the biggest bargains in baseball.
But not everyone follows that path. Juan Soto famously turned down a reported 15-year, $440 million extension with the Nationals in 2022.
He was traded to San Diego that season, then again to the Yankees after 2023. Just this past offseason, he landed the biggest deal in MLB history: 15 years, $765 million with the Mets.
Chicago Cubs outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong, another rising talent, also reportedly declined a long-term extension, though talks between his camp and the team remain ongoing.
For the Reds, this isn’t uncharted territory. The franchise has a history of locking in young talent early. Joey Votto’s two extensions were the most high-profile, but they also reached early deals with Jay Bruce, Johnny Cueto, and Devin Mesoraco during the Walt Jocketty era.
More recently, in April 2023, Cincinnati signed right-hander Hunter Greene to a six-year, $53 million deal - with a club option and escalators that could push the total past $95 million. That contract buys out two years of Greene’s free agency, and if the Reds pick up the $21 million option for 2029, he’d hit the market after his age-29 season.
De La Cruz, meanwhile, would enter free agency at age 28 - right in the heart of his prime.
Krall acknowledged that the team has had conversations with other young players about potential extensions, but so far, nothing has come together.
“We’ve got a lot of guys on this club that are impact players, that have a chance to be impact players,” Krall said. “Hunter took a deal and that was great.
We love having him and he’s an anchor starter for us. We’ve had a lot of conversations over the years - it’s got to work out on both parties.”
For now, the Reds will ride the wave with De La Cruz, knowing they’ve got a generational talent under team control for four more seasons. Whether he eventually signs long-term or bets on himself all the way to free agency, one thing is clear: the Reds see him as a cornerstone. And they’ve already shown they’re willing to pay like it.