TORONTO – As if everybody in Cincinnati didn’t already how thoroughly the Reds have wasted the first 3 1/2 years of Elly De La Cruz’slimited time in a Reds uniform, the franchise’s most dynamic performer since Eric Davis emphasized the point in the season’s final series.
The shortstop who hit for the cycle in his 15th career game and stole third and home on one pitch in his 29th, finished off a rare 30-30 season with two games left in his third full season in the majors.
One night after hitting a no-doubt shot to right in Atlanta for his 30th home run of the season, De La Cruz doubled home two runs, then stole third base on the next pitch for steal
No. 30 in the third inning in Toronto.
The throw wasn’t close as De La Cruz joined Davis (1987),Barry Larkin (1996) and Brandon Phillips (2007) among only four players in franchise history to achieve that milestone – 52nd in major-league history.
The way De La Cruz burst on the scene in 2023 – with best-in-the-game speed and power that included a 458-foot home run in his second game – a 30-30 season looked not only inevitable but perennial for the 21-year-old phenom.
So did perennial playoff appearances for a young core built around that kind of a talent.
But the Reds have one winning season and an 0-2 playoff cameo to show for De La Cruz’s three full seasons in the majors.
That goes along with a .493 winning percentage in 586 games since he debuted, after they blew a late lead and lost to the Blue Jays 6-5 in the opener of that final weekend series of 2026.
De La Cruz went 1-for-4 with a walk, the two RBIs and the milestone stolen base in that game, as the Reds' designated hitter for the night.
What comes next for De La Cruz after this best season of his career is also what’s next for the Reds competitively, both financially and on the field:
- A first winter of arbitration eligibility that should result in a franchise-record salary for a first-time-eligible Red that might approach eight figures.
- And an offseason of retooling a failed roster to try desperately to win again in 2027 with De La Cruz as both the competitive centerpiece and the biggest reason for urgency.
De La Cruz, who has been one of the best hitters in baseball the past five weeks and might even be in line for a top-5 MVP finish in the National League, is on the clock at that point.
Can the Reds afford to take him all the way through his 2029 final season before free agency knowing he’s already turned down an extension offer more than a year ago believed to be in the $240 million range?
Knowing his baseball skill is advancing at a scarier rate than a rogue AI agent?
Knowing that the best way to get the greatest value out of such a great talent is to leverage remaining club control at some point and consider the unthinkable.
For now, the two-time All-Star looks like the best switch-hitter in the game, who plays a marquee position, hits tape-measure home runs (ask the Dodgers), throws out runners at the plate with 102-mph relay throws and runs like few in the game.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: What comes after 30-30 season even bigger for Elly De La Cruz, Reds
