The Elly De La Cruz chatter around the Red Sox picked up again on Friday, and this time it came with a cryptic social media twist from WEEI’s Rob Bradford.
Bradford posted on X without a caption after responding to an aggregation of a quote from Alex Speier of The Boston Globe. Speier reported that some inside the Red Sox organization view top prospect Franklin Arias as “almost untouchable.” With De La Cruz already floating around in trade speculation, the timing made the post stand out.
That’s because De La Cruz keeps coming up as one of the most fascinating names in the rumor mill. The Cincinnati Reds shortstop is 24 years old and has three seasons of control left, which is exactly why nothing about a move feels close to certain.
Even if Cincinnati decided to rebuild, the Reds would not need to act now. They could wait until next offseason, or even the year after, and still expect a strong return.
Still, the Red Sox have already been tied to him. The club targeted De La Cruz ahead of the 2026 trade deadline and made an offer for him, which only adds fuel to the speculation whenever his name surfaces again.
If Boston were somehow able to land him, the fit would be obvious. De La Cruz would upgrade the roster immediately and, as the source material puts it, would make the Red Sox arguably the top contender in the American League with him in the lineup alongside Roman Anthony, Adley Rutschman, Willson Contreras and the rest of the group.
At the same time, social media breadcrumbs only go so far. A post like Bradford’s can hint at where the conversation is headed, but it does not mean a deal is close. The Reds still hold all the leverage with three seasons of control, and there’s a strong argument that they should not move a young superstar just as he’s entering his prime.
Boston would have to pay up to make this work, and the piece that could get Cincinnati’s attention is Arias. He is not the kind of prospect the Red Sox should deal lightly, and the reporting makes that clear. But if De La Cruz truly becomes available, that’s the kind of swing that could force Boston to reconsider what “almost untouchable” really means.
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