Reds News: Elly De La Cruz honored, Chase Burns Cy Young snub, Héctor Rodríguez

The hardware keeps rolling in for the Cincinnati Reds this offseason. Earlier this week, Sal Stewart won the 2026 NL Rookie of the Year Award, and on Wednesday, his teammate, Elly De La Cruz, received All-MLB honors.

De La Cruz became the third player in Reds history to receive All-MLB recognition, joining former Cy Young Award-winner Trevor Bauer (2020) and outfielder Nick Castellanos (2021). De La Cruz was named to the All-MLB Second Team at shortstop while Kansas City Royals infielder Bobby Witt Jr. earned First Team honors.

Elly De La Cruz receives 2nd Team All-MLB honors while his Reds' future hangs in limbo

De La Cruz finished the 2026 season with 30 home runs and 30 stolen bases while hitting .283/.365/.515 during his fourth season in big leagues. The Reds shortstop will enter arbitration for the first time this winter and is expected to be handsomely rewarded for his efforts this past season. MLB Trade Rumors estimates his 2027 salary will be just under $8 million.

De La Cruz's huge jump in salary and his ever-dwindling amount of team control has some fans and pundits assuming that the Reds may look to shop their superstar this offseason. The Boston Red Sox reportedly attempted to swing a deal for De La Cruz at the August 3 trade deadline, but were unsuccessful.

Reds president Nick Krall has downplayed the notion of trading De La Cruz this offseason, but he stopped short of calling the uber-talented infielder untouchable. The harsh reality is that Cincinnati's timeline with De La Cruz on the roster is shrinking, and at some point, a trade is likely. Whether it's this offseason or next will depend greatly on what other teams might be willing to offer.

Reds starter Chase Burns didn't receive a single Cy Young vote

Predictably, Milwaukee Brewers' ace Jacob Misiorowski was named the 2026 NL Cy Young Award winner. New York Yankees hurler Cam Schlittler won for the AL side, and both pitchers were named unanimous victors. But Reds' fireballer Chase Burns didn't receive a single vote.

Misiorowski received all 30 first-place votes, while Philadelphia Phillies' ace Christopher Sánchez placed second. Behind him were Atlanta Braves' veteran Chris Sale, Los Angeles Dodgers' All-Star Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Phillies' southpaw Jesús Luzardo, and San Diego Padres' reliever Mason Miller.

It's hard to argue in favor of Burns with all those top-tier pitchers ahead of him, but with Arizona Diamondbacks lefty Eduardo Rodriguez receiving two fifth-place votes, it's fair to raise a bit of a ruckus. Burns out-dueled Rodriguez in almost every meaningful category last season, yet finished behind him for the sport's top pitching honor.

Burns will have to use this as fuel to dethrone Misiorowski and the rest in 2027. After locking him up on a seven-year, $105 million deal this past summer, the Reds have chosen to hitch their wagon to their ace.

Reds outfielder Héctor Rodríguez set to play Winter Ball

Héctor Rodríguez made his Major League debut in August, and after a slow start, began to find his footing in the big leagues. In all, he posted a .679 OPS, but that number looked much better (.755 OPS) over his final 32 games.

But the Reds are obviously hoping to see improvements from the 22-year-old in 2027, and are sending him to play for Leones del Escogido of the Dominican Winter League this year. He played 30 games in the DOWL last year and hit .301/.375/.504 with four home runs and 17 RBI. Cincinnati will be looking for more of the same this winter.

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