""We made Elly an offer that would've made him the highest-paid Red ever," Krall said (link via C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic). "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.""
"The offer came on the heels of De La Cruz's first full season in the big leagues. He hit 25 home runs and led the majors with 67 stolen bases while batting .259/.339/.471 in a little under 700 plate appearances. A switch-hitting shortstop with a massive power-speed combination, De La Cruz was a top 10 MVP finisher in his age-22 season. He had arguably been MLB's #1 prospect before his promotion. It was enough for the Reds to safely consider him the face of the franchise."
"As shown on MLBTR's Contract Tracker, any extension above Votto money would have been a record for a player with fewer than two years of service. Julio Rodríguez holds that mark on his extension with the Mariners. That technically comes with a $210MM guarantee but has a massive escalator/option structure that could push the value closer to half a billion dollars."
Nick Krall confirmed the Reds made an official offer to Elly De La Cruz last spring that would have exceeded the team's 10-year, $225MM franchise-record deal. De La Cruz declined to disclose specifics and left negotiations to agent Scott Boras. De La Cruz produced 25 home runs, 67 stolen bases, and a .259/.339/.471 batting line in his first full MLB season, finishing top-10 in MVP voting at age 22. The offer would have been a record for a player with fewer than two years of service. Comparable precedent contracts include Julio Rodríguez, Fernando Tatis Jr., and Bobby Witt Jr.
Read at MLB Trade Rumors
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