Reds Get Major Update on Elly De La Cruz Trade

The Cincinnati Reds have received a new update on the Elly De La Cruz trade situation.

A report from Chris Landers of FanSided outlines a realistic scenario in which the Reds at least listen to offers on their franchise shortstop this winter.

De La Cruz just finished the best season of his young career.

The 24-year-old batted .283 with 30 home runs, 30 doubles, 30 stolen bases and an .880 OPS in 2026.

He posted roughly 6.4 WAR, making him one of the most dynamic young position players in baseball.

Yet the club around him fell well short of expectations and finished outside the postseason race.

The Reds' lineup still has clear holes.

Ownership has shown little willingness to open the checkbook.

Earlier extension discussions appear to have stalled after De La Cruz turned down a deal that would have surpassed Joey Votto's previous club-record contract.

In that environment, trading the shortstop for a transformative package of young talent is not an outlandish idea on paper.

But the Reds hold significant leverage.

De La Cruz remains under team control for three more seasons before free agency.

He is entering his first arbitration year and will not reach the open market until after the 2029 season.

That three-year runway is the central reason any deal remains unlikely.

Small-market clubs rarely surrender that kind of cost-controlled production unless the incoming talent is overwhelming.

The asking price would have to resemble the historic packages that have moved other pre-free-agency stars.

It would not be a conventional collection of mid-tier prospects.

Reports have already linked De La Cruz to clubs such as the Dodgers and Red Sox.

Former executives have suggested the Reds would at least field calls.

But without an extraordinary return, Cincinnati can simply keep him and reassess later.

For now, the most probable outcome is that De La Cruz opens 2027 in a Reds uniform.

The front office can continue shopping for complementary pieces while waiting to see whether a true blockbuster emerges.

If no such offer appears, the club retains one of the sport's most exciting players at a fraction of the price he would command on the open market.

Only a return that fundamentally resets the organization is likely to change that calculation.

Sports Illustrated's analysis reinforces the same logic from a different angle.

The Reds currently control De La Cruz until 2030.

If the Reds do decide to move on from him, the argument goes, why not wait until at least 2029?

See where they stand competitively.

Get the most out of him while he is in their uniform.

If the Reds want any chance of being a winning team in 2027, they will need Elly on their roster.

The team should be willing to roll the dice with him on the roster.

You will be hard-pressed to fill that roster spot, even with the abundance of shortstops in the organization.

The depth behind De La Cruz is not ready yet.

Edwin Arroyo was called up this year when Elly went on the IL.

He had a .549 OPS in 160 plate appearances.

Matt McLain is naturally a shortstop but has made a solid double-play duo with Elly as the Reds' everyday second baseman.

Since his shoulder injury in 2024, he has struggled at the plate over the last two seasons.

Noelvi Marte has been moved to right field.

While he has shown glimpses of his talent, he has not shown much reason for hope for his major league future.

The Reds' farm system has talented shortstops, but none of them are particularly close to being Major League ready.

The Reds selected Steele Hall and Justin LeBron with their first-round picks in the last two MLB Drafts.

Both guys have given reasons for hope, but are currently in Single-A ball.

Tyson Lewis, Eric Becker, and Liberts Aponte also identify as shortstops, but none of them are close.