The one Cincinnati Red who was never going to get traded before the Aug. 3 deadline has heard his name come up, if only in dream scenarios by other teams, like the Boston Red Sox.
It’s a first for All-Star shortstop Elly De La Cruz, but it almost certainly won’t be the last time his name comes up in trade speculation as the clock ticks toward his free agency after the 2029 season. Especially if the Reds don’t get the next retooling of the roster right.
“I’m not the one who makes those calls,” he said, adding he hasn’t thought about trades even as several teammates are on the trade block — and even as his name has come up this time around. “You know, it’s a business. But I don’t know.”
De La Cruz, 24, has been at the center of the Reds’ competitive plans since his jaw-dropping midseason debut in 2023.
But by the time this season ends, they’ll have spent more than half of his club-controlled years with the team earning just one, two-game playoff cameo – along with what could be two losing seasons among his first three full seasons in the majors.
Maybe that’s why clubs such as the Red Sox are asking about him this far out from his walk year, and reportedly offering a bunch of prospects. Maybe that’s why some rival evaluators speculated among themselves last month about what it might take to get the Reds to consider trading both Hunter Greene and De La Cruz at this year’s deadline – never mind the sizable public-relations nightmare it would create.
The problem is that the longer the Reds fail to win they’re burning up one of their most precious resources: De La Cruz’s prime.
De La Cruz’s agent, Scott Boras, outlined the argument against signing a long-term extension with the Reds before De La Cruz had a full season in the majors.
And when the two-time All-Star turned down a 12-year offer believed to be in the $240 million range before the 2025 season, it all but assured the timeline for his services in Cincinnati are likely to expire when the Reds play their final game of 2029.
Asked about his desire to stay with the club long-term with a strong enough offer, De La Cruz said, “I’m just thinking about playing day by day. I’m not thinking about that stuff.”
De La Cruz’s value has never been so obvious as it has been since he returned from a hamstring injury in late June.
The two-time All-Star, who probably missed a selection this season because of the first injury-list stint of his career, has been torrid at the plate from the leadoff spot for the last month, showing off his power and jacking up the RPMs on the base paths almost weekly all month.
A little chip on his shoulder from what some consider an All-Star snub?
“No,” he said. “Just chill. I know I missed a lot of games. That’s why I didn’t go to the All-Star game.”
Mostly, he’s just feeling much better physically than he has in a long time.
The result: In 27 games from June 29 through the end of July, De La Cruz hit .306 with six home runs, a .400 on-base percentage, 14 extra-base hits overall and a .974 OPS. Oh, and he was 10-for-11 on steal attempts.
“I’m not worried about numbers,” he said. “I just want to win.”
That’s the point. It has been from the start for both parties.
And now with this season mired in a last-place slog, the clock starts ticking a little louder when it comes to getting the roster right quickly heading into next season – with the whole scenario complicated by a looming labor lockout. (Not to mention Hall of Fame manager Terry Francona heading into the final guaranteed year of a three-year deal that has a club option for a fourth.)
If the fortunes of this club don’t turn quickly over the next year or so, the fortunes of De La Cruz’s career will be found within greener payrolls somewhere else.
And the trade speculation will likely turn into real conversations during what figure to be some expensive seasons the next three years.
If the rumors become more than rumors next year, or the year after?
“I don’t think about that. I just think about playing,” De La Cruz said. “That’s not my business. I just play.
“If they trade me, I can’t control that.”
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Another lost season means clock ticks louder on Elly De La Cruz tenure
Reporting by Gordon Wittenmyer, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Gordon Wittenmyer, Cincinnati Enquirer | USA TODAY Network
