Why Elly De La Cruz Turned Down Reds Record Breaking Offer

On Friday evening, C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic reported that Reds superstar Elly De La Cruz turned down an offer that would have been the largest in franchise history.

“We made Elly an offer that would’ve made him the highest-paid Red ever,” Reds president of baseball operations Nick Krall said. “That’s not where he is and you respect that. It’s their career. You keep going and you keep working on what you can do today.”

This is not really a surprise. Joey Votto's 10-year, $225 million deal was signed in 2012. Also, De La Cruz's agent is Scott Boras, who is known for taking his clients to free agency.

"I let my agent take care of all of that," De La Cruz said at Redsfest on Friday.

On Thursday, Kyle Tucker signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers for $60 million per year. If De La Cruz plays up to his potential, it wouldn't be surprising to see him get one of the largest deals in Major League Baseball history when he reaches free agency.

While the amount offered is uncertain, I would guess the Reds tried to do a similar deal to the one Bobby Witt Jr. signed with the Kansas City Royals, for 11 years, $288 million. Witt Jr. is certainly a player who would have gotten much more than that if he chose to go to free agency.

If De La Cruz has the potential to make $500 million or more on the open market, it's hard to blame him for not taking a deal similar to Witt's. At the same time, the Reds are most likely never going to be able to give out the type of contract De La Cruz might get on the open market.

With that in mind, the best thing Reds fans can do is enjoy watching Elly De La Cruz in a Reds uniform while it lasts.