Joey Votto's Reds-Dodgers trade proposal for Elly De La Cruz isn't as crazy at it sounds

When will the Cincinnati Reds trade Elly De La Cruz? Unfortunately, that's the question that several Reds' fans have been asking themselves of late, especially in light of De La Cruz's arbitration projections. MLB Trade Rumors recently forecasted the Reds' shortstop to take home close to $8 million in 2027, and that number is only going to increase in 2028 and 2029.

The clock is ticking. The Reds attempted to sign De La Cruz to an extension over a year ago, but they're never going to offer De La Cruz the type of contract it would take to keep him in Cincinnati. Furthermore, his representation, Scott Boras, would never allow it in the first place. In other words, the Reds have three more years to figure out what to do with De La Cruz.

Former franchise icon and future Hall of Famer Joey Votto recently proposed a trade on social media and it quickly had the Reds fanbase reacting. Votto's post on X (formerly Twitter) read, "De Paula for Elly. Who says no?"

For those Reds fans unfamiliar with the name De Paula, Votto is referencing Los Angeles Dodgers rookie Josue De Paula who debuted back in September. The outfielder has drawn comparisons to New York Mets' All-Star Juan Soto, and Votto himself believes De Paula will reach the upper-tier of Major League hitters quickly.

Would the Reds trade Elly De La Cruz for Dodgers' rookie Josue De Paula?

Some fans will see Votto's trade proposal and immediately shut it down. That's a fair, and somewhat logical reaction. But De Paula is not your run-of-the-mill prospect. He's the Dodgers' best prospect, a top-5 prospect in all of baseball, and has the type of tools that could turn him into a De La Cruz-like player in the very near future.

In 124 games at Double-A Tulsa this past season, De Paula hit .303/.401/.547 with 27 home runs, 104 RBI, 31 stolen bases, and a 145 wRC+. For comparison's sake, De La Cruz hit .305/.356/.553 with eight home runs, 34 RBI, 19 stolen bases, and a 127 wRC+ in 47 games at Double-A in 2022. De Paula has a much better eye at the plate than De La Cruz, as evidenced by his 13.8% walk rate and 14.8% strikeout rate this season.

A one-for-one swap, however, feels unlikely. Though De La Cruz will see an increase in salary next season, his talent alone is worth more than one of the top prospects in all of baseball. But if the Dodgers were to throw in a pre-arbitration pitcher like Justin Wrobleski, and a high-upside prospect like Charles Davalan or Kendall George, then we might have the makings of a serious offer.

The Reds have an abundance of shortstops on the 40-man roster, though none of them hold a candle to De La Cruz. Two of the Reds' top prospects (Justin Lebron and Steele Hall) also play the position, and one is likely to be handed the reins at shortstop once De La Cruz departs — be it via free agency after 2029 or sooner via a trade.

Make no mistake, this wouldn't be an easy trade to pull off, and the optics for a Reds' front office and ownership group who are already under fire would be horrendous. But if the Reds truly want to be like the Milwaukee Brewers, these are the types of moves they'll have to make.

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