Elly De La Cruz contract buzz wildly overstates what Reds will pay

There are times when unsubstantiated rumors grow legs and take on a life of their own. That's exactly what happened this past weekend when a Dominican radio personality shared a social media post to X (formerly Twitter) stating that highly credible reports suggested the Cincinnati Reds were poised to offer Elly De La Cruz a 13-year, $700 million contract extension this offseason.

Interestingly enough, that supposed contract offer is eerily similar to Joey Votto's forecasted contract for the Reds shortstop. Votto recently predicted that De La Cruz could be in line for a 12-year, $700 million once he reaches free agency after the 2029 season.

Some Reds fans will scoff at the mere notion that De La Cruz is even worth $700 million. After all, Shohei Ohtani and Juan Soto are the only players in Major League Baseball history who have signed such a lucrative deal. But a 15-game streak that's seen him hit .452/.507/.742 with six doubles, four home runs, 10 RBI, and a 241 wRC+, just reminded everyone of how good De La Cruz can be, and there's reason to believe he has the potential to sign a record-breaking deal.

For those who aren't great with math, that 13-year, $700 proposal comes out to be somewhere in the neighborhood of $54 million per year. There are only about four or five organizations who could afford to offer De La Cruz that kind of contract, and the Reds are not one of them.

Elly De La Cruz contract buzz is more reason for Reds fans to enjoy him while he's still in Cincinnati

While the rumor that gripped a number of fans throughout Reds Country over the holiday weekend is fun to think about, it's also a reminder of De La Cruz's ever-expiring timeline. The Reds' superstar is about to enter Year 1 of his arbitration window during the upcoming offseason, meaning that he's only under team control for three more seasons.

Moreover, there's the regrettable thought that the Reds won't be true playoffs contenders for the next few seasons. If Cincinnati is focused more on the future than the present, the front office might look to trade De La Cruz a year (or even two years) before he reaches free agency in order to get a monumental return and help jumpstart a rebuild. In other words, De La Cruz could be playing for another team before he even reaches free agency.

Some Reds fans will inevitably hold their breath, hoping that those loosely linked contract rumors actually come true this offseason, but most of the Cincinnati faithful see the writing on the wall — De La Cruz's time in Cincinnati is slowly coming to an end.

That leaves the Reds with two stark realities. They can empty their resources, and effectively surround De La Cruz with as much help as possible by trading away prospects and increasing free agent spending in order to build a formidable roster for the 2027 and 2028 seasons. Or, they can maintain the status quo. Sadly, the latter is the more likely of the two options.

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