Elly De La Cruz has become the kind of player other teams can’t help but dream about, even if the Reds have no intention of listening to those fantasies right now.
The 24-year-old All-Star shortstop is playing at a high level again after returning from a hamstring injury in late June, but the bigger picture around him keeps getting louder. Cincinnati is sliding through another season without the playoffs, and that reality has already pushed De La Cruz into trade chatter as the Aug. 3 deadline approached. The Boston Red Sox were among the clubs asking about him, according to the source material, and rival evaluators even kicked around the idea of what it would take for the Reds to consider moving both Hunter Greene and De La Cruz.
De La Cruz, though, isn’t spending much time on any of that.
“I’m not the one who makes those calls,” he said, adding he hasn’t thought about trades even as several teammates are on the trade block - and even as his name has come up this time around. “You know, it’s a business. But I don’t know.”
That’s been his stance on the bigger contract picture, too. Asked about wanting to stay long term if the offer is strong enough, he said, “I’m just thinking about playing day by day. I’m not thinking about that stuff.”
The Reds have already seen how quickly the calendar can tighten around a star like this. De La Cruz was the centerpiece of their competitive plans when he arrived in a jaw-dropping midseason debut in 2023, but by the end of this season the team will have used more than half of his club-controlled years while collecting just one two-game playoff cameo. Depending on how the rest of this year plays out, it could also mean two losing seasons in his first three full years in the majors.
That’s why the speculation has started this early, even with De La Cruz still so young and still so productive. His free agency comes after the 2029 season, and his timeline in Cincinnati already feels like it has a finish line attached to it. He turned down a 12-year offer believed to be in the $240 million range before the 2025 season, making it even harder to picture a quick long-term resolution.
For now, though, the performance is doing the talking. Since coming back from the injured list in late June, De La Cruz has looked more like the electric force Cincinnati envisioned from the start.
In 27 games from June 29 through the end of July, he hit .306 with six home runs, a .400 on-base percentage, 14 extra-base hits and a .974 OPS. He also went 10-for-11 on steal attempts.
A little edge from what some viewed as an All-Star snub?
“No,” he said. “Just chill.
I know I missed a lot of games. That’s why I didn’t go to the All-Star game.”
He said the biggest difference is simply feeling healthier than he has in a long time.
“I’m not worried about numbers,” he said. “I just want to win.”
That’s the tension hanging over this whole situation. De La Cruz wants wins, the Reds need to figure out the roster fast, and the clock is already moving toward his expensive years and eventual free agency. The backdrop only gets more complicated with a looming labor lockout and Terry Francona entering the final guaranteed year of his three-year deal, which includes a club option for a fourth.
If Cincinnati doesn’t turn this around soon, the speculation around De La Cruz figures to stop being hypothetical. For now, he’s staying where he’s always been mentally: in the lineup, day by day.
“I don’t think about that. I just think about playing,” he said.
“That’s not my business. I just play.
“If they trade me, I can’t control that.”
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The more revealing part of the picture is that the Reds are also open to moving at least one hitter from a separate group that includes Nathaniel Lowe, JJ Bleday and Dane Myers. Spencer Steer had been in that conversation too before a wrist injury changed the equation, leaving Cincinnati to sort through a deadline plan that could reshape the lineup while potentially sending a familiar bat elsewhere. [Read more 🡒]
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The timing only makes the situation more complicated with the trade deadline approaching and catcher-needy clubs already searching for help. Stephensons improved bat has boosted his value at just the moment the market is tightening around available backstops, which puts the Reds in an uncomfortable spot. A player who helps them win now can also become exactly the kind of target other teams are lining up to pursue. [Read more 🡒]
Reds Deadline Could Bring Elly De La Cruz The Infield Help He Needs
The Reds are heading toward the trade deadline as expected sellers, and that puts a few familiar names in play. Players on expiring contracts such as Brady Singer and Tyler Stephenson could be moved, which would open room for Cincinnati to rework parts of the roster while keeping an eye on the young core already in place.
One path being discussed would send the club toward a young infielder who could help stabilize the group around Elly De La Cruz and Sal Stewart for the long haul. Cincinnati has spent plenty of time exploring different deadline scenarios, and this one is the kind that could shape not just the rest of the season, but the next few years as well. [Read more 🡒]