Scott Boras revealed the uncomfortable truth about Reds keeping stars like Elly De La Cruz

Baseball super-agent Scott Boras was front and center at this week's GM Meetings in Las Vegas and was asked a question about Cincinnati Reds' ability to retain stars like Elly De La Cruz. Boras responded with a world salad that would rival some of the most ardent politicians on Capitol Hill, but there were some kernels of truth baked into his answer.

Cincinnati reporter C. Trent Rosecrans asked Boras, "We've heard over and over than smaller markets can't keep their stars and win. The topic comes up repeatedly. Is there a roadmap that you could see for team like the Cincinnati Reds to keep a player like Elly De La Cruz?"

Rosecrans' question hits at the heart of some of the discussions surrounding the current Collective Bargaining negotiations. De La Cruz is one of the best players in the game and is entering Year 1 of his arbitration window. The Reds attempted to sign De La Cruz (whose agent is Boras) to the largest contract in team history, but failed to get a deal done.

So many fans of small market teams have watched some of their most talented and beloved players exit via free agency or become the centerpiece of a trade simply because the organization can't justify paying their stars while maintaining a competitive roster. We've seen it in the past with J.T. Realmuto, Manny Machado, Gerrit Cole, and Francisco Lindor.

This year's World Series participants — the Milwaukee Brewers and Tampa Bay Rays — have made these types of dilemmas a way of operation. Corbin Burns, Devin Williams, Blake Snell, Freddy Peralta, Tyler Glasnow, Randy Arozarena, and Josh Hader are all examples of players who were traded away rather than re-signed by their original franchises.

"The idea of what ownership does and what they choose to do is that they have to understand how they operate. Why they operate," Boras said. "And obviously, if I'm going to operate like I did 20 years ago and everybody in my division is operating differently, I'm not going to be able to capitalize the franchise to a level that others have to create an opportunity."

Reds can't afford to ignore Scott Boras' message about keeping Elly De La Cruz

This part of Boras' response makes complete and total sense. A team like the Brewers trusts their scouting department enough to invest in their young stars before they truly become big-league stars. Jackson Chourio, Cooper Pratt, Luis Lara, and Aaron Ashby all signed affordable contract extensions well before they broke onto the scene.

The St. Louis Cardinals have done the same with their young star, JJ Wetherholt (eight-year, $112.5 million). The Chicago Cubs inked NL MVP Pete Crow-Armstrong (six-year, $115 million) to a long-term pact before he broke out this past season. And even the Pittsburgh Pirates — though they haven't secured Paul Skenes to a contract extension — signed rookie phenom Konnor Griffin (nine-year, $140 million) to a mega-deal this past year.

To the Reds' credit, they've made similar agreements with the likes of Hunter Greene (six-year, $53 million) and Chase Burns (seven-year, $105 million), but Sal Stewart has yet to agree to an extension and there've reportedly been no talks to date. After winning NL Rookie of the Year this past week, Stewart's price tag is only going up.

Had the Reds bet big on Stewart before his breakout this past season, whatever number he may eventually sign for would've been much lower. The same can be said of Burns. While a $15 million AAV for a top-tier arm like Burns might look like a bargain, that number might've been closer to $10 million if the Reds would've negotiated a deal with Burns prior to the 2026 season.

The Reds must apply this type of logic moving forward with young players like Alfredo Duno and Justin Lebron. If Cincinnati trusts their scouting and believes that either player will become an All-Star caliber performer once they enter the league, they must strike a long-term deal before they reach that level of stardom.

There's certainly a risk with this type of strategy, but it's the only way for a small-market club like the Reds to keep their most coveted talent. Had Cincinnati struck a long-term deal with De La Cruz just after his rookie season, perhaps Reds fans wouldn't be forced to listen to the constant trade rumors centered around their star shortstop.

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