Did MLB Fans Just Get a Hint at Next Potential Mega Deal?

Over the last few years, we have seen some truly massive deals get done around Major League Baseball.

In just the last few years, we've seen Juan Soto get $765 million, Shohei Ohtani get $700 million, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. get $500 million, Yoshinobu Yamamoto reset the pitching market with $325 million, and Kyle Tucker get a pretty ridiculous four-year, $240 million deal from the Los Angeles Dodgers, among many others. Naturally, any time these big deals get done, the question that always pops up is who is next?

Tarik Skubal of the Detroit Tigers should be in line for a mega deal this upcoming offseason, but he also just had elbow surgery and is going to be 30 years old by the time free agency gets here. Outside of Skubal, there isn't anyone heading to free agency this upcoming offseason who will likely significantly break the bank. Jazz Chisholm Jr. is another guy heading to free agency, but he's not going to get anywhere near the money as the guys above.

Who Is Going To Get The Next Big Deal?

Outside of Skubal, the next mega deal very well could be a young guy going the extension route, rather than simply in free agency, like we've seen with Ohtani and Soto. Guerrero got his massive deal as an extension from the Toronto Blue Jays. One guy worth watching is Cincinnati Reds superstar Elly De La Cruz.

He's under team control through the 2029 season. But he's 24 years old and already is tearing it up across the big leagues. So far this season, he has slashed .288/.354/.521 with an .875 OPS, 10 homers, 29 RBIs, nine stolen bases, 17 walks, eight doubles and 39 runs scored in a league-leading 41 games played.

He's great with the bat, is one of the most feared base runners in the league, and is in the 98th percentile in outs above average. He's a true five-tool player and there were some eyebrows raised on Monday. De La Cruz posted on Instagram out to dinner with agent Scott Boras, which caught the attention of plenty of people around baseball.

Boras is De La Cruz's agent, so naturally they would have dinner together sometimes. But any time you see Boras around, it does raise questions on if there is a deal to be had. The Athletic's Jim Bowden threw some cold water on the idea on Tuesday.

"Agent Scott Boras had dinner with his client Elly De La Cruz last night at Jeff Ruby's restaurant in Cincinnati which made me reach out to Reds [president] Nick Krall to see if they re-engaged in [extension] talks ... he replied 'Not at this time' [for what it's worth]," Bowden wrote

Now, even if the two sides haven't come back together to talk shop, this certainly could be viewed as a precursor. Right now, De La Cruz has three seasons of control left after the 2026 season, but with his age and how well he's already playing, he could be a guy in line for one of those mega deals next. Getting something done now would save cash in the long run. So, if you're looking around wondering who could be the next to get paid, outside of Skubal, De La Cruz wouldn't be a bad bet.

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