The Reds have their cornerstone

Elly De La Cruz is the player Cincinnati should build around for years to come. The real question is whether the team can convince him to stay.

De La Cruz wants to win

According to Athletic reporter C. Trent Rosecrans, De La Cruz is a competitor with bigger ambitions than just playing in Cincinnati. He wants to win championships.

“Elly De La Cruz is a competitor and he wants to win.”

One playoff trip in his tenure

The Reds have made the postseason just once since De La Cruz joined the roster. That's not enough to satisfy a player with championship aspirations.

Staying in Cincinnati is tough

Rosecrans says it's unrealistic to expect De La Cruz to spend his entire career with the Reds. That's just how modern baseball works with free agency.

“I don't think anyone can expect him to be with the Reds his entire career. It's not practical. It's not realistic.”

His first arbitration year looms

De La Cruz is entering his first year of arbitration, which will make it harder for Cincinnati to afford building a competitive team around him.

The Reds' best offer wasn't enough

Cincinnati made the largest contract offer in franchise history, surpassing Joey Votto's deal. De La Cruz rejected it because he knows he'll earn far more on the open market.

“He is showing everybody why he is this immense talent and that he could have this unbelievable contract in the future.”

Votto's deal is ancient history

Joey Votto signed his contract in twenty twelve. Salaries have exploded since then, so Cincinnati's best offer still falls short of what De La Cruz will command.

Two massive challenges ahead

The Reds face a dual problem: paying De La Cruz enough to keep him and building a winning team that gives him reason to stay in Cincinnati.

Control through twenty twenty-nine

De La Cruz remains under team control through the twenty twenty-nine season. That's the window Cincinnati has to prove it can compete.

The pieces are already there

The Reds have De La Cruz, Sal Stewart, and Chase Burns as building blocks. Now ownership must spend and the front office must execute.

Urgency is critical now

If the Reds believe keeping De La Cruz long-term will be difficult, they should feel more pressure to win immediately. The time to act is now.

Give him a reason to stay

Cincinnati can't control whether De La Cruz eventually leaves. But they can control how hard they try to build a winner around him before he does.