Reds still have plenty of runway with Elly De La Cruz after contract talks stall

The Cincinnati Reds made an attempt to sign Elly De La Cruz to a contract extension last spring, but according to C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic (subscription required), he turned them down.

Rosecrans recently spoke with Reds president of baseball operations Nick Krall who said, "We made Elly an offer that would’ve made him the highest-paid Red ever." The franchise's biggest contract on record was the 10-year, $225 million extension Joey Votto signed prior to the start of the 2012 season.

The exact details of the contract offer are unknown, but it's clear that the number the Reds put forth was not enough to entice De La Cruz to sign on the dotted line. Many Reds fans are terrified of losing De La Cruz when he hits free agency after the 2029 season, but all that panic may be a bit overblown.

Impending CBA negotiations could greatly affect the Reds contract talks with Elly De La Cruz

De La Cruz is still pre-arbitration eligible, and the Reds have him under team control for four more seasons. While most assume that De La Cruz's impending payday is only likely to grow as he gets inches to free agency, the upcoming collective bargaining negotiations between the owners and the Player's Association could impact the league in a way fans have never seen before.

The Los Angeles Dodgers' recent four-year, $240 million contract with outfielder Kyle Tucker may have been the last straw. Baseball fans (and owners) have grown tired of watching the Dodgers buy up all the free agent talent while small-market teams like the Reds, Cleveland Guardians, Kansas City Royals, and others have zero chance to sign or even retain top talent.

By refusing the Reds contract offer, De La Cruz is taking a calculated risk, and his agent Scott Boras is at the center of it. After seeing so many talented players — many of whom are Boras clients — forgo contract extensions with their current clubs and sign mega-deals in free agency, it's hard to fault De La Cruz's rationale. Why sign a deal with the Reds that's worth maybe $300 million, when he can make double that amount (or more) four years from now?

But the upcoming CBA negotiations are likely to result in a lockout and prolonged dispute between the owners and the players. Many baseball fans are clamoring for a salary cap, or at the very least a salary floor and ceiling that would bring better competitive balance to the sport. The last time a small-market team won the World Series was in 2015 when the Royals defeated the New York Mets.

If such a deal is reached, perhaps teams like the Dodgers, Mets, and New York Yankees would be restricted from such reckless and excessive spending, while teams like the Reds, Miami Marlins, and Tampa Bay Rays would be encouraged to increase their payroll. As such, Reds fans shouldn't panic about De La Cruz's future until the upcoming CBA is settled.

Once the the Reds ownership and De La Cruz have a better idea about where the sport is headed long-term, perhaps the two sides can come together around the negotiating table and hammer out a deal that works for both sides.