Elly De La Cruz keeps finding ways to make the Dodgers part of the conversation.
The Reds star has already done his damage at Dodger Stadium, including that May 2024 game when he went 4-for-4 and stole four bases. Afterward, he called Los Angeles, "my city."
That line has aged into something more interesting now that the offseason is here and De La Cruz’s future keeps looming larger. He turns 25 in January, is entering his first offseason of arbitration eligibility, and won’t reach free agency until the 2030 season if he gets there at all. He also passed on a spring training extension before the 2025 season, one that would have been the largest in Reds history and topped Joey Votto’s 10-year, $225 million deal.
“We made Elly an offer that would’ve made him the highest-paid Red ever,” Reds president of baseball operations Nick Krall said last year. “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.”
Cincinnati has not shown any sign it wants to move him. But after a 75-87 season that left the Reds last in the National League Central, Votto floated a wild idea on social media during the postseason: a one-for-one swap that would send De La Cruz to Los Angeles for Dodgers top prospect Josue De Paula.
It is the kind of trade proposal that sounds absurd at first glance. De La Cruz just posted a 2026 season with 30 home runs, 30 stolen bases and an .880 OPS, after going for 25 homers, 67 steals and an .809 OPS in 2024.
He is also an elite defensive shortstop, with his Outs Above Average ranking in the 92nd percentile and his arm strength in the 91st percentile. At this point, he is a rare five-tool force who is still nowhere near his peak.
But De Paula has pushed his way into the same kind of conversation. The 21-year-old put together a massive year at Double-A Tulsa, hitting .303 with 27 home runs, 104 RBIs and a .948 OPS in 124 games.
He also swiped 31 bases, drew 81 walks and struck out only 87 times. Then came a September promotion, where he hit .323/.500/.581 with five extra-base hits, 11 walks, five strikeouts and a 1.081 OPS over 11 big-league games.
His three postseason plate appearances included two walks, a small sample that still fits the same profile: advanced strike-zone control and real offensive upside. The Dodgers are working to improve his defense so he can handle left field, though another team could view him as a full-time DH and let the bat carry the load.
A De La Cruz-for-De Paula deal is still a long shot, and probably will be for a while. But the fact that Votto could even toss it out says plenty about how highly De Paula is regarded - and how much star power the Dodgers’ 21-year-old rookie already carries.
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