Buried in Bob Nightengale’s USA Today deadline recap was the kind of line that makes a fanbase stop cold: "The Boston Red Sox tried to convince the Cincinnati Reds to trade shortstop Elly De La Cruz, but never came close to acquiring him."
That much is clear. The Reds had no real incentive to move a player like De La Cruz, and Boston’s pitch never got anywhere near the finish line. So if you’re wondering what it would have taken to even get Cincinnati to listen, the answer starts with the player the Red Sox value most in the system.
Franklin Arias would have to be the centerpiece. He’s Boston’s top prospect, and if the Reds were going to entertain the idea of parting with a 24-year-old star shortstop, they’d want a premium shortstop coming back as the headliner. To give Cincinnati some protection beyond that, Boston would probably need to add another shortstop type - either Yoeilin Cespedes, who brings extreme pull-side power, or Dorian Soto, the 18-year-old switch-hitter who offers his own up-the-middle fallback if Arias’ bat doesn’t fully translate.
And because the Reds were reportedly more interested in young major leaguers than a prospect-heavy package, Kristian Campbell would have to be in the deal too. He’s still only 23, was once a top 10 prospect nationally, and remains under team control on a below-market extension. Even after a rough first full season, he still fits the profile of a controllable big-league bat with enough upside to matter.
That package - Arias, one of Cespedes or Soto, and Campbell - would at least look like a serious attempt. But even then, Cincinnati would likely want more. A deal for De La Cruz would probably have to include pitching upside as well, either someone like Anthony Eyanson or a major-league ready arm with multiple years of control such as Jake Bennett.
And even that might not have been enough. De La Cruz is controlled through 2029, is already a two-time All-Star, is hitting .271 with an .847 OPS and 20 home runs, and is just two years removed from stealing 67 bases.
He’s also been remarkably durable, playing all 162 games last year and 160 the year before. That’s a massive ask for any team to pry loose.
The bigger issue is that Boston may not have had the kind of trade ammo to build this sort of monster package in the first place. The Red Sox already paid a steep price to land Adley Rutschman, giving up three of their top six prospects - Eyanson, Kyson Witherspoon, Enddy Azocar and Player To Be Named Later Harold Rivas - along with catcher Carlos Narváez. After a move like that, there simply wasn’t another package of similar size sitting behind it without gutting the system.
In Other News...
Orioles Just Learned The Full Price Of Bostons Adley Blockbuster
Adley Rutschmans first game in a Red Sox uniform gave Boston an immediate look at why the club was willing to make a serious move for him. He went 1-for-3 with two walks and handled catcher duties cleanly, a tidy debut that fit the idea of a roster upgrade designed to matter right away. The swap also finally got buttoned up behind the scenes, with the player to be named later piece of the deal now settled.
For Baltimore, the real sting is in what eventually crossed over to complete the trade. Boston sent over minor league outfielder Harold Rivas, an 18-year-old with enough status in the organization to make him more than just a throw-in. It is the kind of final accounting that can quietly shape how a blockbuster is remembered, especially when the first big league glimpse from the new catcher already looked so settled. [Read more 🡒]
Vaughn Grissom Just Made His Red Sox Exit More Personal
Vaughn Grissoms departure from Boston already looked like one of those moves that quietly lingered in the background, and now it feels a lot more personal. The infielder said the Red Sox front office never gave him a fair chance to play, arguing they leaned too heavily on analytics instead of what he was doing on the field. Since moving on, Grissom has settled in as a more regular starter with the Los Angeles Angels, where consistent playing time has given him a steadier role.
Grissom also believes he has gotten better simply by being on the field every day, and his season line reflects a player who has found some rhythm. He is hitting .254/.315/.392 with seven home runs and a 0.5 bWAR in 78 games, numbers that do not turn the story into a full redemption arc but do make the contrast with his Boston tenure harder to ignore. For the Red Sox, it is another reminder that player evaluation does not end when someone leaves town. [Read more 🡒]
Adley Rutschman Already Changed A Big Red Sox Question
Adley Rutschman wasted little time making his presence felt in Boston, stepping straight into the middle of the lineup and behind the plate after being acquired in a trade and activated from the injured list. In a 5-3 loss to the Blue Jays, he started at catcher and batted third, and even after more than three weeks away with wrist inflammation, there was little sign of rust as he settled into his new surroundings.
For the Red Sox, the early takeaway was bigger than one game in the standings. Rutschmans arrival immediately changes the look of a catching situation that was already under scrutiny, and the club plans to handle his workload carefully as he gets up to speed with a new pitching staff and a new dugout. The next question is less about whether he fits and more about how Boston chooses to use him in the first stretch of this new chapter. [Read more 🡒]