Elly De La Cruz's collapse reveals harsh truth Reds fans saw coming a mile away

There's no easy way to say it — Elly De La Cruz has been horrible over the second-half of the season. Whether the Cincinnati Reds superstar is battling injury, fatigue, or just a prolonged slump, his performance since the All-Star break has been downright awful.

Heading into the All-Star break, De La Cruz was hitting .284/.359/.495 with 18 home runs and 25 stolen bases. Since the Midsummer Classic, however, he's posted a paltry .228/.291/.330 slash line with only one round-tripper and 10 steals. He's also struck out 70 times in 55 games, and some of De La Cruz's at-bats look outright unproductive.

It took Terry Francona about 150 games to realize that the didn't have to continuously slot De La Cruz into the No. 3 hole in the Reds lineup. The skipper bumped his star infielder back to No. 7 in the batting order, and he's reached base safely five times in his last seven plate appearances.

But drawing walks isn't a big part of Elly's game. He's always been about power and speed. But the fact of the matter is that this year's Reds team was built around the idea that De La Cruz was the focal point of the lineup. The harsh reality is, few teams can find success in today's game without multiple stars, and that's something Cincinnati will have to address in the offseason.

Elly De La Cruz needs help, but will the Reds front office give it to him?

The arrival of Sal Stewart and the unexpected production from Noelvi Marte give the Reds two potential building blocks for 2026. Nevertheless, if Cincinnati really wants to compete for the NL Central championship and be considered World Series contenders, they'll need to add another star to the equation.

Free agency isn't the only way to do that, and given the Reds' track record, it's probably not the smartest move they can make. The trade market, however, could give Cincinnati and opportunity to upgrade the lineup this coming winter, and help Francona field an above-average offensive team.

Reds fans saw the flaws this past offseason when Cincinnati made upgrades around the edges, but failed to add an impact bat. Rather than going out and getting a known commodity, the Reds were relying on a bounce-back season from Matt McLain that never came, and a power-surge from Christian Encarnacion-Strand that failed to ignite. There was also free agent flop Jeimer Candelario, which, after being DFA'd, saw the Reds squander $15 million in salary this season and next.

The Reds pitching has been outstanding this season, and one is left to wonder what Cincinnati's record would be at the moment if De La Cruz played up to his potential, or the front office had added another meaningful bat before the start of the season. The Reds are still in the playoff hunt, but if they fall just a game or two short, fans will be furious at the front office.

More Cincinnati Reds News and Rumors