
Shortstop Elly De La Cruz is the Reds’ best position player since longtime first baseman Joey Votto, so it stands to reason that De La Cruz should be compensated like Votto.
However, the two-time All-Star appears to be thinking beyond early-2010s salary figures. On Friday, Cincinnati president of baseball operations Nick Krall revealed at the Reds’ fan fest that De La Cruz turned down the largest contract offer in Reds history in the spring of 2025.