Cincinnati Reds president of baseball operations Nick Krall was straightforward at the GM Meetings in Las Vegas: there have been zero conversations about trading Elly De La Cruz this offseason. But the «never say never» he tacked on was enough to keep the speculation burning — and there’s a real reason why it won’t go away.
De La Cruz wrapped up 2026 with an .880 OPS, 30 home runs, 30 stolen bases, and a team that finished last in the NL Central at 75-87. That combination is exactly the kind of tension that makes front-office language matter.
What Krall Actually Said
The GM Meetings are the first major offseason stage where executives face the press, and The Athletic’s C. Trent Rosecrans asked Krall directly about the Dominican shortstop’s future. Krall’s answer:
«We haven’t had any conversations about him this offseason… I’m never going to say never, but we haven’t had any conversations.»
Why «Never Say Never» Isn’t a New Signal
Before anyone rings the alarm, some context: Krall used the exact same phrasing last year when reporters asked about Hunter Greene. That trade never happened. In executive-speak, «never say never» is standard defensive rhetoric — not an active market signal.
Multiple executives present in Las Vegas confirmed to The Score that they haven’t heard anything suggesting De La Cruz is available. Cincinnati’s stated offseason priority is pitching: rebuilding the bullpen and adding rotation depth.
That said, recent history is what keeps this conversation alive — not Krall’s words. In the spring of 2025, the Reds offered De La Cruz an extension that would have broken the franchise’s all-time record — the 10-year, $225 million deal Joey Votto signed in 2012 — and he turned it down. Then, ahead of the 2026 trade deadline, the Boston Red Sox submitted a formal prospect-based offer; Cincinnati declined because it didn’t include major-league-ready players.
Those two chapters are what fuel the noise.
A 24-Year-Old Having His Best Season on a Last-Place Team
The real tension here is simple: Elly De La Cruz just had the best season of his career at 24, on a team that lost 87 games and finished in the basement of its division.
In 2026, he became just the fourth player in Reds history to join the 30-30 club — a list that includes Eric Davis, Barry Larkin, and Brandon Phillips. His Statcast profile is equally striking: a 94.7 mph average exit velocity (100th percentile in all of MLB) and a 16.3% barrel rate (98th percentile).
This isn’t a player on the decline that a rebuilding team can sell low on. He’s exactly the kind of piece a franchise in transition should hold onto.
De La Cruz is under team control through 2029 and won’t be arbitration-eligible until 2027. Yahoo Sports reported that several league executives would be «shocked» if Cincinnati moved him now. The value of keeping him in a free-agent market where his profile is essentially unavailable far outweighs anything a prospect package could return.
The Numbers Behind the Name
De La Cruz doesn’t show up in elite conversations by accident. Here’s what his full 2026 Statcast line looks like across 636 plate appearances:
- AVG: .283
- OPS: .880
- Home runs: 30 | RBI: 79
- xwOBA: .376 — 95th percentile
- Exit velocity: 94.7 mph — 100th percentile
- Barrel rate: 16.3% — 98th percentile
- Hard-hit rate: 53.7% — 96th percentile
- Bat speed: 76.2 mph — 92nd percentile
- Sprint speed: 78th percentile
The numbers don’t need an opinion attached. They validate themselves.
