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The Cincinnati Reds know they have a future franchise superstar in Elly De La Cruz, and will want to lock him up long-term as soon as they can. However, his agent Scott Boras could pose a problem, as his usual tactic is to drive up the price of a player as much as he can.
As a small market team, this is something the Reds do not want to happen. However, they might be ok, as FanSided’s Jake Elman predicts that De La Cruz could sign an extension this season anyways.
“Reds president of baseball operations Nick Krall confirmed this past offseason that the Reds offered De La Cruz an extension last year, though he didn’t expand on the details. However, The Athletic reported that the offer would have exceeded the 10-year, $225 million extension that Joey Votto signed in 2012. Call it an unpopular decision, but I would have taken the contract if I were De La Cruz. Yes, he’s a five-tool player, but he’s an abysmal defender, and all it takes is one significant injury for the Reds to reconsider giving him a massive extension. To his credit, though, De La Cruz cut his strikeout rate from 31.3% to 25.9% in roughly the same number of plate appearances last year, and he’s still only 24,” Elman wrote.
This past season, De La Cruz slashed .264/.336/.440/.777 with 31 doubles, 22 home runs, 86 RBI, and 37 stolen bases in 162 games played. He’s also been an All-Star two of his three seasons in the MLB.
With that in mind, he’s definitely worth at least the Joey Votto money the Reds offered. However, depending on how he does this upcoming season, Boras might actually get his way.
Overall, the Reds know what they have with De La Cruz and should offer what they want, but definitely be prepared to at least overpay a bit.
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