Juan Soto's ridiculous contract shows why Reds must extend Elly De La Cruz now

The New York Mets are the winners (maybe?) of the Juan Soto sweepstakes. The Mets' signed the free agent outfielder to a record-breaking deal on Sunday night worth $765 million over 15 years. The deal can grow by an additional $40 million if New York decides to void the opt-out following the 2029 season.

While the Cincinnati Reds never were involved in the negotiations with Soto, his new contract should certainly capture the attention of Bob Castellini, Nick Krall, and the rest of the organization's decision makers. Why? Because Elly De La Cruz will commanding a lot of money in the future, and if the Reds have any intention of keeping him in Cincinnati, they must act now.

Juan Soto's ridiculous contract shows why Reds must extend Elly De La Cruz now

MLB owners are just giving money away these days, and if the Reds aren't willing to pony up in order to keep De La Cruz, he'll be out the door in 2030, if not before. De La Cruz just completed his first full season in the majors and is under team control for five more seasons.

The All-Star garner MVP consideration last year, and on his current trajectory, De La Cruz figures to be one of the biggest stars in baseball. His combination of speed and power, coupled with his cannon for an arm, make De La Cruz must-see TV. While there are still flaws in his game, De La Cruz is a superstar in the making, much like Soto during his early years in the league.

De La Cruz is pre-arbitration eligible in 2025 and 2026. The highly-skilled shortstop will then be in line for a pay raise through arbitration in 2027, 2028, and 2029 before reaching free agency. The best way for the Reds to keep De La Cruz beyond that current window is to offer him a massive contract extension this offseason. Something in the range of Bobby Witt Jr.'s 11-year, $288 million deal with the Kansas City Royals should suffice.

How the money is allocated, whether the contract in front-loaded or back-loaded, and what type of signing bonus is included is all immaterial. The bottom line is that if the Reds want to keep De La Cruz beyond his arbitration window, they need to act this offseason.

At one time Soto turned down a 15-year, $440 million deal from the Washington Nationals. Two-and-a-half years later, he's added another $365 million to his bottom line. The Reds cannot afford to drag their feet on this one, and must go all-in this winter. If not, the Krall and Co. need to do everything in their power to assemble the best roster possible between now and the time that De La Cruz become a free agent.

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