Elly De La Cruz, Reds Contract Talks Updated by Team After Star's Dinner With Scott Boras

Despite Scott Boras' recent trip to Cincinnati for a fancy dinner with Elly De La Cruz, the Reds are not currently working on a new contract for their star shortstop.

In a text to CBS Sports' Jim Bowden, Reds president Nick Krall wrote there was nothing going on with De La Cruz right now: "Not at this time."

The topic came up after De La Cruz posted images from Jeff Ruby's Steakhouse in Cincinnati where he was having dinner with Boras.

Krall previously said in January that prior to the start of the 2025 season, De La Cruz turned down an extension offer that would have made him the highest-paid player in Reds history.

"We engaged in Spring Training of 2025 and presented an offer," Krall said. "The offer would have been the largest contract in Reds history. We didn't have any further conversations regarding the offer."

The current record for a Reds contract is the 10-year, $225 million extension Joey Votto signed in 2012.

Votto, Ken Griffey Jr. and Homer Bailey are the only players in club history who have ever received a contract worth at least $100 million.

Ke'Bryan Hayes currently has the largest contract on the Reds at $70 million over eight years, but he originally signed that deal in April 2022 when he was with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

De La Cruz's price has only gone up since turning down that offer last year. He made the All-Star team for a second consecutive year in 2025.

So far in 2026, De La Cruz is off to the best start of his career. He is hitting .288/.354/.521 with 10 homers in 181 plate appearances. His 2.1 fWAR is tied with Shea Langeliers and Andy Pages for fourth in MLB.

The 24-year-old still has three years of arbitration remaining, but even if he plays that out, he will be a free agent going into his age-28 season in 2029.