The Boston Red Sox are looking to add before Monday’s trade deadline, and they aren’t being shy about it.
That search has centered around the shortstop position, with names like CJ Abrams, Zach Neto, Jeremy Pena, Otto Lopez, and even Francisco Lindor all having been linked to Boston in some capacity. While any of those options would be huge gets, it turns out the Red Sox were swinging for something much bigger: Elly De La Cruz.
According to reporter Sean McAdam, Boston and Cincinnati had discussions about a De La Cruz trade but couldn’t come to terms on a return package.
“The Red Sox had discussions with the Cincinnati Reds about Elly De La Cruz, but couldn’t match up. The Reds aren’t inclined to move de la Cruz, but are willing to at least listen to teams who might meet their admittedly high asking price.
According to a league source, the Red Sox offered a package mostly made up of prospects for de la Cruz, 24. The offer wasn’t enough to tempt the Reds, who were more interested in young major leaguers,”
The 24-year-old De La Cruz is playing on a one-year, $800,000 pre-arbitration contract and has three more years of club control with the Reds beyond 2026. He’s hitting .276 with 18 HRs and 48 RBI to go with 20 SB in just 91 games played this season.
De La Cruz notably rejected a record contract offer from the Reds in the spring of 2025, which, combined with their struggles this season, has teams like the Red Sox calling to check in on his availability.
The fact that Nick Krall did, in fact, pick up the phone and was open to listening on De La Cruz suggests this may not be the last we hear about the situation, making it something to keep a close eye on heading into the offseason.
Next: The Rich Get Richer: Dodgers Acquire Superstar Tarik Skubal
