Joey Votto's joke reminded Reds fans of the harsh reality about Elly De La Cruz

During NBC's Sunday Night Baseball broadcast of the Reds-Cubs game, Joey Votto joked that the Reds cannot afford to keep shortstop Elly De La Cruz long-term, saying he will cost "roughly the GDP of a small country." De La Cruz will become arbitration eligible this offseason after earning league minimum for his first three seasons, and is set to enter free agency after 2027. The Reds previously offered De La Cruz a deal that would have made him their highest-paid player in franchise history, but the organization would need to roughly double that offer to retain him beyond his current contract.

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