The Cincinnati Reds have several young players under team control, with the main piece being star shortstop Elly De La Cruz. However, they're in no rush to extend any of them, per MLB.com's Mark Sheldon.

"Based on what I've heard, there have been no multiyear deal conversations with any arbitration-eligible players or guys under club control," he reported. "That can change quickly though since teams and arb-eligible players are scheduled to exchange figures on Thursday. While that process often brings one-year deals to avoid the hearing, it's possible for a multiyear deal."

"Among the core guys, of course Elly De La Cruz would top the list, but it's quite rare – although not impossible – for Scott Boras clients to sign extensions that push back free agency," he continued. "Others I'd look at are Andrew Abbott, Nick Lodolo and possibly Tyler Stephenson."

De La Cruz is a two-time All-Star hand has a .773 OPS with 139 stolen bases over 420 career games. Meanwhile, Abbott finished ninth in baseball with a 2.87 ERA over 29 starts last season, Lodolo had a 3.33 ERA over 29 outings, and Stevenson has a .764 OPS over 558 career games.

Should Cincinnati extend any of these players in the near future?

Abbott, Lodolo, and Stephenson are all promising, but De La Cruz is on another level. Therefore, Cincinnati must hand him a contract extension as soon as possible.

De La Cruz won't hit free agency until after the 2029 season, but it would probably cost more money to sign him at that point than it would now. The 23-year-old will be in his prime that year and will have other teams bidding for him if he hits the open market. 

The problem, as Sheldon wrote, is that Boras may have De La Cruz wait until then to maximize his earnings. The ideal scenario for the Reds would be to sign the native Dominican to a pre-arbitration extension akin to the Atlanta Braves' deal with superstar Ronald Acuna Jr.. The Braves signed the latter player to an eight-year, $100 million extension in April 2019, when he had just one MLB season under his belt. 

De La Cruz has already played three seasons, but his first arbitration year is in 2027. That gives Cincinatti another year to secure him into the 2030s before entering the yearly arbitration salary negotiations. 

While signing De La Cruz now would mean coughing up more money up front, the Reds would at least guarantee that he'd stay in town throughout his 20s.