Brewers' NL Central rival was reportedly willing to break the bank for young star

The Cincinnati Reds appear to have turned a corner. Since a brief run from 2010 to 2013 during which the Reds won two NL Central titles and made three playoff appearances, Cincinnati has spent the last dozen years mired in mediocrity. For some of those years, mediocrity is generous; the Reds finished in fourth or fifth in the NL Central in every season from 2014-2019. A playoff appearance during the shortened 2020 season -- a year in which the 29-31 Milwaukee Brewers qualified for the expanded postseason -- offered some relief for a Cincinnati fanbase that hasn't had much to root for in the last decade, but from 2021-2024 the Reds were right back to the playoff-less ways.

However, in 2025, the Reds' young core that has led many in the industry to pick them as a dark-horse playoff candidate in recent seasons, finally clicked under the tutelage of the great Terry Francona. During a time when the NL East appears to have three perennial contenders in the Philadelphia Phillies, Atlanta Braves, and New York Mets, the NL West has their share of juggernuats in the Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres, San Francisco Giants, and Arizona Diamondbacks, and the best team in baseball was a division rival of theirs, the Reds snuck into the playoffs in 2025, earning the final Wild Card spot in the National League.

It was a quick exit for the Reds, who had to face the now-back-to-back World Series Champions, the Dodgers, in the Wild Card round, but for a young team that has struggled to make much noise in recent years, it was nonetheless a necessary accomplishment to keep the Cincinnati faithful encouraged by the viability of their current core.

Said core is highlighted by a talented rotation that will essentially remain intact in the 2026 season. Names like Hunter Greene, Andrew Abbott, and Nick Lodolo all had excellent seasons in Francona's starting staff, and with rising stars Chase Burns and Rhett Lowder waiting in the wings, the future remains bright for the Reds' rotation.

Leading the charge on the other side of the ball is the talented Elly De La Cruz, Cincinnati's star shortstop. De La Cruz, who just turned 24, possesses a unique blend of speed and power that has not only earned him All-Star Game appearances in each of the last two seasons, but also MVP votes. He's the type of talent that screams "franchise player," and according to a recent report, the Reds' front office was convinced that he was last offseason, offering him a record-breaking contract extension that the talented young infielder turned down.

According to The Athletic, Cincinnati Reds' shortstop Elly De La Cruz turned down a record-breaking contract extension last offseason

C. Trent Rosecrans, the Reds' insider for The Athletic, published an article late last night describing how De La Cruz was offered a contract last winter that surpassed the 10-year, $225 million extension Joey Votto signed back in 2012; De La Cruz's camp, however, declined the offer.

To some extent, you have to respect the move from the rising star; De La Cruz, who is set to make a pre-arbitration salary of $820,000, is betting on himself, and after the contracts that have been handed out to Kyle Tucker and Bo Bichette this offseason, how can you blame him? The average annual salary that Elly would have brought in if he had taken the Reds' offer likely pales in comparison to what he would earn on the open market if he were a free agent today. Pair that with the fact that De La Cruz will hit free agency when he's just 27 years old and it appears, so long as no significant injuries or dips in performance occur in the next four years, that he made the right decision.

In terms of whether Nick Krall and the Reds' front office made the right choice by offering a 10-year pact to De La Cruz, the answer is a resounding "yes." Sure, there are questions about De La Cruz's defense at shortstop (he led all of MLB with 26 errors last season) and his strikeout numbers at the plate (31.7% whiff rate, 25.9% strikeout rate in 2025), but finding a shortstop with the power and speed that De La Cruz possesses is no easy task in today's game. Not only has he launched 47 total homers over the last two seasons, but he's arguably the best base-stealer in baseball. And, he's only 24 years old, meaning much of his development has yet to occur.

Though it's certainly possible the two sides reach a contract extension before De La Cruz hits the free agent market in four years' time, Brewers fans should be happy that it's no guarantee. The switch-hitting De La Cruz has a solid .740 OPS with six homers in 35 games against the Crew throughout his three years in MLB. Where he's really killed them, however, is on the basepaths. In those 35 games, De La Cruz has racked up 10 stolen bases, including a game back in 2023 when he stole all three bases over the course of one at-bat (as seen in the video below).

Like any baseball player, De La Cruz is not without faults, but had he agreed to the Reds' record-breaking contract extension, Brewers fans would have been guaranteed to watch him steal base after base for the next decade. Now, while that possibility still remains, the contract offer is simply a sign that the Reds are serious about competing for the foreseeable future. After an extended period of losing in Cincinnati, that's not something Brewers fans should take lightly.