Cincinnati Reds' Dynamic Shortstop Could Be Candidate For $500 Million Contract

According to Jeff Passan of ESPN and MLB executives, Elly De La Cruz could receive one of the biggest deals in baseball over the next several years.

Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz (44) hits an RBI double, scoring Matt McLain from first base, in the ninth inning of the MLB National League game between the Cincinnati Reds and the Washington Nationals at Great American Ball Park in downtown Cincinnati on Saturday, May 3, 2025. | Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

With Shohei Ohtani ($700 million) and Juan Soto ($765 million) signing record-breaking contracts in successive offseasons, it's unclear what's in store for next winter - or the winter's beyond that.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. signed a $500 million extension this April, knocking out the biggest prize of the looming free agent class, so it's unknown just what lies ahead for the current stars of the game, and their wallets.

But according to Jeff Passan of ESPN, and MLB executives, Cincinnati Reds' star Elly De La Cruz could be one of the next big dominoes to fall. On Tuesday, Passan listed De La Cruz as a candidate for a $500 million deal of his own in the future.

Multiple executives named the Reds star as a potential successor to Soto, but the math is likely to prevent that from happening. With less than two years of service time, De La Cruz won't be a free agent until the class of 2029-30, at which point he'll be 28. Even if he receives a 13-year deal, De La Cruz would need an average salary of nearly $59 million a year to exceed Soto's contract. Is it possible? Well, sure. De La Cruz is that talented. But he hasn't produced at an exceptionally high level, hitting .252/.328/.444 for his career

Free at ESPN: The nine-figure club remains the benchmark for baseball excellence. A look at the entire league and the players likeliest to get megadeals, from $100 million all the way to the contenders to dethrone Juan Soto as MLB's highest-paid player: https://t.co/SXJcgobKYZ

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) May 6, 2025

De La Cruz, 23, is in his third season in the big leagues. He's hitting .261 this season with five homers, 25 RBIs and 13 steals, making him one of the most electric players in the league. He led baseball with 67 steals a season ago.

Also marketable, he is on the cover of this year's MLB The Show video game franchise with Gunnar Henderson (Orioles) and Paul Skenes (Pirates).

The Reds enter play on Tuesday at 18-18 overall. They'll take on the Atlanta Braves (16-18) at 7:15 p.m. ET at Truist Park in Atlanta.

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