Joey Votto says he would trade Elly De La Cruz for prospects if he were running the Cincinnati Reds. He argued that a potential $650 million contract would take up far too much of the club’s payroll. The former Reds first baseman said he would not commit half or a third of a team’s spending to a single player.

Votto, 43, spent all 17 of his major league seasons with Cincinnati, winning the 2010 National League MVP award and making six All-Star teams before retiring in 2024. De La Cruz, 24, is the team’s two-time All-Star shortstop and was Votto’s teammate in 2023.

The comments came in a Foul Territory interview published on Thursday, when former big league catcher A.J. Pierzynski asked Votto what his top priority would be if he were the Reds’ general manager.

“I would trade Elly for as many prospects as possible to start,” Votto said. “Elly’s going to get $650 million. Even if he doesn’t get that number, he’s making $50 to $60 million per year times seven, just to start.”

“You know, let’s say the CBA changes things,” he added. “He’s making $350 million over the course of seven years minimum, six years minimum. Are you going to give up half or a third of your payroll on one player? It doesn’t make sense.”

Votto said some clubs should avoid such contracts, and used his own deal as the example.

“Some teams shouldn’t be signing the big dog guys. I was extended in Cincinnati on a 12-year deal. Should they have signed me? No. No, they should have flipped me at year four and a half or year five, and then I would have entered free agency.”

De La Cruz is coming off the best season of his career, hitting .283 with 30 home runs, 30 stolen bases and an .880 OPS, according to Baseball-Reference. He becomes arbitration eligible for the first time this offseason and is not due to reach free agency until after the 2029 season.

Reds president Nick Krall has said the club offered De La Cruz an extension before the 2025 season that would have been the largest contract in franchise history.

Joey Votto previously called for Elly De La Cruz trade

Joey Votto has made the point before. During an NBC broadcast of a Reds game in September 2026, he said of De La Cruz, “Unfortunately we can’t afford him,” and added the shortstop would cost roughly the GDP of a small country.

Days before the interview, Votto floated a De La Cruz trade on social media. If the Reds cannot sign him long term, a trade before 2029 would bring back far more than letting him walk.

Cincinnati reached the playoffs in 2025 but missed them in 2026, with a possible lockout adding further uncertainty.