Francona and De La Cruz seem to be on the same page heading into the 2026 season.
The Cincinnati Reds went 83-79 in 2025 and squeezed into the postseason as the final National League Wild Card team before getting knocked out by the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Elly De La Cruz was at the center of it all, playing all 162 games while battling a quad injury that dragged his numbers down over the final months.
Now, with spring training winding down and Opening Day approaching, manager Terry Francona sounds excited about what comes next for his 24-year-old shortstop.
In a recent piece from Charlie Goldsmith's Substack, Charlie's Chalkboard, Francona spoke about what it is like working with De La Cruz on a daily basis and where he thinks the young star is headed.
"I love managing him. I love managing all of our guys. They give you what they have. I enjoy that," Francona said. "I think it's going to be fun to watch Elly's maturation as a player. You're going to see it."
The Case for an MVP Run
Those words carry real weight coming from a Hall of Fame caliber manager who previously developed Francisco Lindor into one of the best shortstops in baseball.
Francona has compared De La Cruz to Jose Ramirez in terms of the way teammates follow his lead and feed off his energy, and that kind of praise says a lot about where the Reds believe their star can go.
De La Cruz is already a two-time All-Star who finished eighth in NL MVP voting in 2024 after hitting .259 with 25 home runs and 67 stolen bases.
Last season, he posted a .264 average with a .777 OPS, 22 home runs and 37 stolen bases while playing through the quad issue.
His OPS sat at .854 before the All-Star break and dropped to .666 after it, showing just how much the injury took away from what could have been a monster year.
Now healthy, with added muscle and the return of his leg kick at the plate, De La Cruz has the tools to push into the NL MVP conversation if he can stay consistent.
The Reds also added Eugenio Suarez behind him in the lineup, which should take pressure off and give him better pitches to hit.
What De La Cruz Needs to Clean Up
For all of his exciting ability, there are still parts of De La Cruz's game that need to get better.
His strikeout numbers remain high, and his chase rate on breaking balls out of the zone has been a recurring issue that pitchers target during his slumps.
Francona has also talked about wanting De La Cruz to improve his baserunning awareness, specifically picking up the ball while stealing bases so he can be even more dangerous on the paths.
Defensively, De La Cruz led the league in errors at shortstop last season, and while some of that was tied to fatigue, his consistency with routine throws still needs work.
Francona and bench coach Freddie Benavides have made defense and baserunning focal points this spring, and the early returns have been encouraging.
The Reds sit at 13-14 in spring training with Opening Day on March 26 against the Red Sox fast approaching.
Cincinnati has real playoff expectations this year, and how far they go will depend heavily on whether De La Cruz can put together the full, healthy season everyone believes he is capable of.
If he does, Francona might be right that we are all about to watch something pretty special unfold in Cincinnati.