Pundits Predict Who Will Be Baseball's First Billion-Dollar Player
First, it was Shohei Ohtani in 2024 landing a $700 million contract. Juan Soto topped that this winter with a record-breaking $765 million.
That's brought some around the sport to wonder: Who will be baseball's first BILLION DOLLAR player?
Taking into account that it could take a few years for the market to get there, pundits have suggested that young Cincinnati Reds phenom Elly De La Cruz is the logical choice. He reaches free agency in 2029, just about enough time for the market to get to that absolutely insane figure.
And Elly has heard the whispers.
"I did see that,” De La Cruz said, per Gordon Wittenmyer of the Cincinnati Enquirer. “Billion dollars,” he repeated. “Yeah, I don’t think about that... I just keep playing my game and living day to day – no looking ahead to the future.”
The future is pretty bright for the player who, in just his first full major league season, became an All-Star and finished a stunning 8th in MVP balloting.
The 23-year-old, with a combination of a set of skills rarely seen in a ballplayer before, led the majors with 67 steals, while blasting 25 home runs and logging an .809 OPS. He was in the 99th percentile in Baserunning Run Value, the 94th percentile in Fielding Run Value and the 90th in Bat Speed.
He finished with a .259 batting average, a .339 on-base, and a .471 slugging. Just imagine when he figures out how to cut down on those league-leading 218 strikeouts.
The Reds still have five years to enjoy the splendor of Elly. But after the 2029 season, they better be ready to get out the checkbook. The Billion Dollar Club will be calling.
