The story behind the jersey swap with Elly De La Cruz and Patrick Mahomes

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Cincinnati Reds rookie Elly De La Cruz held up the jersey and seemed almost perplexed at why some teammates offered him thousands of dollars to buy it from him.

It was the newest and almost certainly the most valuable swag the rookie has picked up on his first road trip in the major leagues – a personalized, signed Kansas City Chiefs jersey from MVP and Super Bowl hero Patrick Mahomes.

Not that the young prospect from the Dominican Republic is remotely a fan of NFL football. “No,” he scoffed.

Elly De La Cruz answers questions about MLB All-Star Home Run Derby, pitching

Or that he’s ever watched the Chiefs or Mahomes – who initiated Wednesday’s swap of autographed gear.

“Just in the Super Bowl,” De La Cruz said.

But he did seem to appreciate the gesture from Mahomes, who asked for an autographed bat from De La Cruz in exchange for the jersey. Mahomes even had the rookie write “world’s fastest man” on the bat, a nod to the public self-assessment De La Cruz made over the weekend in St. Louis. The Reds rookie also signed a ball for him.

Which is part of what makes you wonder which of the exchanged swag will be worth more 20 years from now.

Or this: Will De La Cruz be enough of a football fan by this summer and early fall to know why Cincinnati fans are booing him if he decides to wear that new jersey in public?