Declining the record-breaking extension offer, De La Cruz has fully entrusted Scott Boras to handle his contract matters.

Nick Krall, Cincinnati Reds' baseball operations president, disclosed that the team made an extension offer last year to their young shortstop Elly De La Cruz that would have broken the franchise's record contract, but the player refused. In response, De La Cruz stated he has fully delegated his contract affairs to renowned agent Scott Boras.

The current largest contract in Reds history is the 10-year, $225 million deal signed with Joey Votto in 2012. In an interview with C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic, Krall did not reveal the exact offer amount but said, "We made Elly an offer that would have made him the highest-paid player in Reds history, and he chose not to accept it. We respect his decision. A player's career belongs to the player, and we can only continue to focus on our daily work."

Just turned 24, De La Cruz has accumulated 1,822 plate appearances over three MLB seasons, posting a slash line of .255/.329/.445 with 60 home runs and a wRC+ (weighted runs created plus) of 107. With 2 years and 118 days of major league service time, he will qualify for salary arbitration for the first time after this season and is expected to become a free agent after the 2029 season.

Regarding his decision to reject the Reds' offer exceeding $225 million, De La Cruz responded at the team's annual fan meeting, "I have completely left these matters to my agent." His agent Boras has yet to make any public comments on the issue.