“We made Elly an offer that would have made him the highest-paid Red ever,” said Krall (link via C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic). “That’s not where he is and you respect that. It’s their career. You keep moving forward and you keep working on what you can do today.” De La Cruz chose not to go into details, telling fans at Redsfest only that he is leaving contractual matters to his agent, Scott Boras.
The offer came on the heels of De La Cruz’s first full season in the major leagues. He hit 25 home runs and led the majors with 67 stolen bases while hitting .259/.339/.471 in just under 700 plate appearances. De La Cruz was a shortstop with tremendous power and speed and was a top 10 MVP finisher in his age 22 season. Before his promotion, he might have been the No. 1 prospect in the MLB. It was enough for the Reds to safely consider him the face of the franchise.
As shown by MLBTR’s Contract Tracker, any extension above Votto money would have been a record for a player with less than two years of service. Julio Rodriguez has that mark on his contract with the Mariners. That technically comes with a $210 million guarantee, but has a huge escalator/option structure that could bring the value closer to half a billion dollars. The player’s earnings cap increases as arbitration approaches. Fernando Tatis Jr. (14 years, $340 million) and Bobby Witt Jr. (11 years, $288.78 million) each received much larger guarantees when they signed extensions after exactly two years of service.
Krall did not specify where the offer to De La Cruz would have landed compared to those precedents. Witt is now an MVP-caliber player, but had some similarities with De La Cruz when he signed his extension for the 2023-24 offseason. He was also a former #1 prospect with the tools to be a franchise shortstop. Witt had hit .276/.319/.495 with 30 home runs and 49 steals in the season prior to his long-term contract. He was already a star, but had yet to reach the level of the player who would win a batting title with an OPS of 1.000. Witt’s deal also included four opt-out opportunities that could launch him into free agency as early as his age-31 season — a time when a 10-year contract could be on the horizon.
Whatever the details, De La Cruz has so far chosen to bet on himself. That’s the usual path for Boras Corporation customers, especially those not yet eligible for arbitration. He played on a pre-arbitration salary last year and will do the same in 2026. De La Cruz will be eligible for arbitration next season and will be under club control for four seasons. He is on track to hit free agency at the age of 28.
De La Cruz’s production slightly backed up in his second full season. He hit .264/.336/.440 with 22 longballs and 37 stolen bases. His average and on-base percentage were essentially unchanged, but his power and baserunning each took a small step back. It’s unlikely there will be much change in the way the Reds view him. De La Cruz started all but one game as the Reds battled for the final National League play-off spot. Krall said earlier in the offseason that De La Cruz played through a strained left quad. The injury and possible fatigue wore on him in the second half, when he hit .236/.303/.363 after the All-Star Break. He carried a .284/.359/.495 slash with 25 steals into the Midsummer Classic.
Cincinnati will likely enter extension talks again this spring, though it would be a surprise if they get anything done. In both cases, he remains the team’s most important position player. Krall made it clear they are committed to De La Cruz at shortstop, where he has a cannon arm but has led the MLB in mistakes in back-to-back seasons. When fully healthy, he should lead the way offensively, with his physical gifts giving him one of the highest ceilings in the league.
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