CINCINNATI \u2014 Last spring, the Reds made an offer to shortstop Elly De La Cruz that would have eclipsed Joey Votto\u2019s club-record 10-year, $225 million contract extension that he signed in 2012. De La Cruz turned it down.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe made Elly an offer that would\u2019ve made him the highest-paid Red ever,\u201d Reds president of baseball operations Nick Krall said Friday. \u201cThat\u2019s not where he is and you respect that. It\u2019s their career. You keep going and you keep working on what you can do today.\u201d<\/p>\n
De La Cruz, who celebrated his 24th birthday earlier this week, is eligible for arbitration for the first time in 2027. He will be eligible for free agency following the 2029 season.<\/p>\n
\u201cI let my agent take care of all of that,\u201d De La Cruz said at Redsfest.<\/p>\n
De La Cruz\u2019s agent, Scott Boras, has not yet responded to a message sent by The Athletic.<\/p>\n
In recent years, several of the game\u2019s youngest stars have signed long-term deals, including another shortstop in a small market: Bobby Witt Jr. of the Kansas City Royals. Witt signed an 11-year, $288.8 million extension in February 2024. Elsewhere, Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Corbin Carroll signed an eight-year, $111 million extension in March 2023. Over the winter, the Athletics signed left fielder Tyler Soderstrom to a seven-year, $86 million contract extension that includes an eighth-year club option with escalators that could push the total value to $131 million.<\/p>\n
Preceding these deals is Ronald Acu\u00f1a Jr.\u2019s eight-year, $100 million extension with the Atlanta Braves that he signed in 2019. The deal, which runs through 2026, has\u00a0two club options for 2027 and 2028.<\/p>\n
However, not every player has been as amenable to such deals.<\/p>\n
Juan Soto, who finished second in National League Rookie of the Year voting to Acu\u00f1a in 2018, declined multiple extension offers with the Washington Nationals, including a reported 15-year, $440 million offer in 2022. Soto, who is also represented by Boras, was traded to the San Diego Padres that season. After the 2023 season, the Padres traded him to the New York Yankees, where he played in his final season before free agency.<\/p>\n
Soto ultimately signed a 15-year, $765 million contract with the New York Mets last offseason.<\/p>\n