Cubs have a Pete Crow-Armstrong advantage Reds may envy with Elly De La Cruz

Pete Crow-Armstrong's 2026 season will go down in the history books as one of the best in Chicago Cubs history. His eventual coronation as the National League's MVP will only cement his superstar status, as he's firmly established himself as one of the league's premier all-around talents.

Of course, the actual timing of this effort couldn't have been any better, either. Just before his 40-40 effort on the field, PCA signed a six-year extension off it, locking him into what now appears to be one of the most team-friendly contracts in the league. At an average annual salary of less than $20 million, the Cubs will get to enjoy his electrifying play for the next six years.

Elsewhere in the NL Central, however, the Reds can't say the same for their own MVP candidate. Elly De La Cruz has been one of the best shortstops in baseball in recent years, but he doesn't appear long for Cincinnati.

Reds can only wish they were Cubs as they get stuck between a rock and a hard place with Elly De La Cruz

The Reds have had a rough go of things for the better part of the last decade; they've made the playoffs just twice since 2014, getting swept in the Wild Card Round both times. Even after they took a step forward last year with a playoff trip, they slumped back to the bottom of the NL Central standings in 2026.

One of the few bright spots for them during this stretch was the passing of the "face of the franchise" torch from Joey Votto to De La Cruz. Now, the former is vouching for the organization to trade the latter.

That's not because Votto has suddenly grown a distaste for De La Cruz. As the franchise record holder for largest contract ever ($225 million over 10 years), he just knows the financial reality the Reds are facing. They already made De La Cruz an offer that surpassed Votto's deal, which the shortstop turned down. Since then, he's hit 52 homers and stolen 67 bases over a two-year span.

In other words, De La Cruz -- who is about to reach arbitration for the first time -- is going to cose a fortune to re-sign. He ranks sixth among all players since 2024 with 17.8 fWAR, flashing the same kind of power, speed, and defense that has made Crow-Armstrong such a force to be reckoned with.

The upcoming lockout could change things, but the Reds are facing a common small-market dilemma: By failing to extend De La Cruz while he was still developing, they now likely can't afford him. Does that mean they'll be better off trading him for a haul of prospects and young players who will be able to help them well beyond 2029, the final year De La Cruz remains under team control?

While his departure would loom large in the NL Central picture, De La Cruz's sticky situation in Cincinnati is also another reminder of just how lucky the Cubs got with their decision to extend PCA when they did.

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