Reds News: Elly De La Cruz HR streak, Emilio Pagán's contract, Sonny Gray's future

Elly De La Cruz is riding one of the hottest streaks of his Major League career. The Cincinnati Reds shortstop has an eight-game hit streak and has launched a home run in five straight.

De La Cruz is hitting .484/.529/1.032 during that eight-game span, and his numbers going back to August 22 (.449/.500/.812) are also quite impressive. De La Cruz is showcasing his superstar talents, and if he keeps it up, Joey Votto's claims that he sees an MVP Award in the the All-Star's future might be spot on.

Reds News: Elly De La Cruz has a chance to catch Joey Votto

Speaking of Votto, De La Cruz's home run streak is beginning to look eerily similar to the one that the Reds' legend enjoyed in 2021. Votto fell just one home run short — a few feet to be more accurate — of making Major League Baseball history by becoming just the fourth player to record a homer in eight straight games.

Votto's sixth homer in a row, which came on July 29 at Citi Field, made him the outright owner of this prestigious honor. A number of former Reds — Adam Dunn, Johnny Bench, Eugenio Suárez, Jay Bruce, and Ken Griffey Jr. — all homered in five straight games, but Votto is the only player in team history to hit one at least six consecutive games. He may have put the record out of reach with a round-tripper on July 30, 2021 to put the number at seven straight games.

Nevertheless, De La Cruz is giving himself a chance. On Friday, the Reds travel to Milwaukee to open up a three-game series against the Brewers. In 44 games against the Brew Crew, De La Cruz has nine home runs. Right-hander Dustin May is the scheduled starter for Friday's opener, and De La Cruz took him deep earlier this month.

Reds News: Emilio Pagán has a decision to make

The 2026 season is coming to a close, and the Reds have myriad of questions to answer this offseason. One such query will center around their closer, Emilio Pagán, who has to decide whether or not to exercise his player-option.

Pagán signed a one-year, $10 million deal this past offseason with a $10 million player-option for 2027. All options must be exercised within five days of the conclusion of the World Series, and given Pagán's performance of late, he may have a lot to think about. Since returning from the IL in July, the right-hander is 3-0 with a 2.38 ERA and 16 saves in 24 appearances.

But at least one MLB insider believes Pagán is staying put. According to Jeff Passan of ESPN, no team is likely to surpass the $10 million figure the Reds have on the books for 2027, meaning he'll likely opt to remain in Cincinnati.

Reds News: Former All-Star Sonny Gray contemplating retirement

Former Reds pitcher Sonny Gray is talking about retiring at the end of the 2026 season. Gray told Boston Globe reporter Alex Spier that he's undecided on whether or not he'll pitch next season.

Gray cited family obligations, and said he'd be "done in a heartbeat" if that's what his family wanted. He's currently leading a Boston Red Sox rotation that's poised to make some noise in the playoffs this season.

The right-hander sounds excited about playing meaningful baseball at this point in his career, saying, "We’ll see what the future holds for me, but if this is it, no better way to go out and try to do something special here the next couple months.”

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