CINCINNATI — Last spring, the Reds made an offer to shortstop Elly De La Cruz that would have eclipsed Joey Votto’s club-record 10-year, $225 million contract extension that he signed in 2012. De La Cruz turned it down.
“We made Elly an offer that would’ve made him the highest-paid Red ever,” Reds president of baseball operations Nick Krall said Friday. “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 celebrated his 24th birthday earlier this week, is eligible for arbitration for the first time in 2027. He will be eligible for free agency following the 2029 season.
“I let my agent take care of all of that,” De La Cruz said at Redsfest.
De La Cruz’s agent, Scott Boras, has not yet responded to a message sent by The Athletic.
In recent years, several of the game’s youngest stars have signed long-term deals, including another shortstop in a small market: Bobby Witt Jr. of the Kansas City Royals. Witt signed an 11-year, $288.8 million extension in February 2024. Elsewhere, Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Corbin Carroll signed an eight-year, $111 million extension in March 2023. Over the winter, the Athletics signed left fielder Tyler Soderstrom to a seven-year, $86 million contract extension that includes an eighth-year club option with escalators that could push the total value to $131 million.
Preceding these deals is Ronald Acuña Jr.’s eight-year, $100 million extension with the Atlanta Braves that he signed in 2019. The deal, which runs through 2026, has two club options for 2027 and 2028.
However, not every player has been as amenable to such deals.
Juan Soto, who finished second in National League Rookie of the Year voting to Acuña in 2018, declined multiple extension offers with the Washington Nationals, including a reported 15-year, $440 million offer in 2022. Soto, who is also represented by Boras, was traded to the San Diego Padres that season. After the 2023 season, the Padres traded him to the New York Yankees, where he played in his final season before free agency.
Soto ultimately signed a 15-year, $765 million contract with the New York Mets last offseason.
Chicago Cubs outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong, represented by Creative Artists Agency, also reportedly turned down a long-term extension offer. The two sides are expected to continue dialogue about a long-term contract extension.
For their part, the Reds are no strangers to early long-term extensions. Not only did Votto sign two extensions before free agency, but the Reds, under former general manager Walt Jocketty, also signed extensions with outfielder Jay Bruce and starter Johnny Cueto, as well as with catcher Devin Mesoraco following his All-Star appearance in 2014.
In April 2023, the Reds signed right-hander Hunter Greene to a six-year, $53 million deal with a club option for a seventh year and escalators that can bring the total value to more than $95 million, buying out two years of free agency. If the Reds do pick up his $21 million option for 2029, Greene would hit free agency following his age-29 season.
De La Cruz will be entering his age-28 season when he reaches free agency following the 2029 season.
Krall said he’s approached other of the team’s young players about extensions as well, but none have come to fruition.
“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.”
