The Cincinnati Reds don’t have forever with Elly De La Cruz.
Their superstar shortstop could eventually look to leave and play elsewhere.
That’s not happening yet, though. De La Cruz is still under contract.
The Reds know that agent Scott Boras may not ever have Elly sign an extension in Cincinnati. They know they may not be able to afford De La Cruz if he ever reaches free agency. They even know that a trade would potentially have to happen if they were having a bad year in Elly’s last season under contract.
For now, though, the Reds simply have to build a contender around their superstar. It’s the only choice they have.
That includes figuring out De La Cruz’s contract for the 2027 season. He’s one of 12 Reds who is eligible this offseason for salary arbitration.
That’s a process by which Elly’s next salary will be determined, and it could be the starting point for any extension talks, if De La Cruz’s camp is open to those at all.
Elly De La Cruz Contract Projection
MLB Trade Rumors writer Matt Swartz has projected values for all the Reds’ arbitration eligible players.
The MLBTR projection for De La Cruz’s salary for the 2027 season comes in at $7.9 million.
It certainly is a bargain relative to what De La Cruz is capable of, but that’s sort of how the salary arbitration system works.
Each player that reaches the major leagues via the minor leagues has six years of club control once they reach the majors.
The first three years have a salary based on the collective bargaining agreement, and those are considered the pre-arbitration years.
Years four through six of a player’s time with a team are the arbitration years. In each of those offseasons, a player is eligible to go to salary arbitration to determine what he’s paid for the following season.
The arbitration process features the team submitting one value and the player submitting another, and the independent arbitrator comes to a conclusion on which one wins out.
Teams and players in recent years often negotiate in advance to avoid actually going to what can be a contentious hearing, but the value they come out with will still end up close to what it would’ve probably been in arbitration.
All that said, it matters which year a player is in for the sequence — and this is only De La Cruz’s first arbitration year. Generally, the first arbitration year comes with the lowest salaries, and they rise in each of the two subsequent years, even if the player is viewed as having exactly the same value each season.
The $7.9 million projection would actually be just about as high as a player ever gets at this stage in the process.
The Reds could also choose to pursue an extension, but given Elly seems unlikely to sign one at this time, the best these sides can do is try and have a pleasant and not contentious arbitration process.
Reds in Arbitration
There are 12 Reds total who are eligible for salary arbitration.
They are Tejay Antone, Nick Lodolo, Graham Ashcraft, Tony Santillan, Spencer Steer, JJ Bleday, Matt McLain, Brandon Williamson, Andrew Abbott, Oswaldo Cabrera, Dane Myers and De La Cruz.
If the Reds don’t want to keep one of those guys, they can non-tender them — essentially not offer them a contract for the new season at all — and they become a free agent.
Reds Reach $7.9 Million Elly De La Cruz Verdict