Craig Breslow has done a good job building out the Red Sox pitching staff, but the lineup remains the part of the roster that still feels unfinished. If Boston wants to chase a real fix for that, Cincinnati Reds star Elly De La Cruz is exactly the kind of name that changes the conversation.
That possibility becomes even more interesting if the Reds actually make De La Cruz available this offseason, something Joey Votto believes they absolutely should. If that happens, the Red Sox would make sense as a serious player in the chase - especially with the Yankees potentially lurking as well.
The key question is what Boston would have to surrender to get in the game. Would Franklin Arias, the organization’s No. 1 prospect, have to be part of the package?
To win a bidding war for De La Cruz, probably. And if Arias is not quite as untouchable as once believed, then Boston has at least something to think about.
There was already at least some discussion between the Red Sox and Reds on De La Cruz. According to Sean McAdam, the two sides could not line up on a deal.
Boston’s offer was centered mostly on prospects, while Cincinnati wanted young major leaguers instead. The Red Sox were not willing to pull talent off their MLB roster.
That creates the framework for the kind of deal Boston would have to explore now. If the Red Sox tried again, an Arias-centered package could be the opening move, likely with outfield prospect Justin Gonzales and a controllable big-league piece added in to get talks moving. And yes, that naturally raises the question of whether Cincinnati would have any interest in Jarren Duran.
Boston would be selling Arias as the headliner, but the Reds would have every reason to lean on De La Cruz’s value after his 30-30 season in 2026 and his age. From Cincinnati’s side, the argument is simple: a 24-year-old shortstop with that kind of production is the sort of asset that costs a fortune.
If the Red Sox were able to make it work - and they would almost certainly have to give up more than the initial framework suggests - they would be reshaping their future in a major way. That matters because the path they’ve been counting on has started to wobble, with Marcelo Mayer and Kristian Campbell failing to deliver as hoped and Roman Anthony carrying health questions.
And if Boston did land De La Cruz, the roster questions would come next. Trevor Story is not an obvious trade candidate because he has 10-5 rights, and his contract runs through the 2028 season.
The cleaner move would be to shift Story to second base. But that would leave Curtis Mead in the mix too, creating an infield crowding problem that would mirror the logjam the Red Sox have long dealt with in the outfield.
Even so, De La Cruz is the kind of player who overrides those concerns. You don’t pass on that level of talent because the fit gets messy.
You acquire him first and sort out the rest later. In Boston, he would be the shortstop going forward, and the rest of the infield would have to bend around him.
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The bigger question is whether the Red Sox see enough in that profile to keep him through the winter, or whether the trade market presents a better fit for their roster plan. The team has not signaled any intention to non-tender Duran, so the conversation appears to be about value and fit rather than simple subtraction, with the offers they receive likely to determine how seriously Boston entertains moving on. [Read more 🡒]