The Red Sox took a swing at one of baseball’s biggest trade prizes, but the Reds didn’t come close to biting.
Sean McAdam of MassLive reported that Boston made an offer for Cincinnati shortstop Elly De La Cruz, only to get turned away. The package, McAdam said, was “a package mostly made up of prospects,” while the Reds were holding out for “young major leaguers” instead.
The Athletic’s Jen McCaffrey added that Cincinnati is indeed listening on the two-time All-Star, but a deal would require “a decent overpay” and would need to include, at the very least, “players close to the big leagues,” if not young MLB talent. McAdam also reported that Boston was not willing to part with MLB roster pieces in a De La Cruz trade.
That lines up with the broader read on this situation: a trade still looks like a long shot, but it’s not dead. Last Wednesday, WEEI’s Rob Bradford said the Reds were telling teams “not to bother” when it came to De La Cruz.
Now, the picture is a little less absolute. Still, the price remains enormous.
And it’s not hard to see why. De La Cruz is arbitration-eligible for the first time this winter and is under team control through 2029.
His defensive value can be debated depending on which metric you trust, but his speed, arm strength, and power are beyond question. Over the last three seasons, only seven position players have produced more FanGraphs WAR.
At 24, he already looks like a franchise-level talent with years of star-level production ahead of him.
Boston’s interest makes perfect sense. The Red Sox rank 26th in fWAR at shortstop this season, so they’re hunting for a real answer there.
The Reds’ asking price, though, makes just as much sense. McCaffrey noted that if Cincinnati is going to move De La Cruz, it wants a return built around players who can help soon.
That’s why it’s notable that the Reds are even discussing offers, and even more notable that they appear to want major league help back. If they’re thinking about contending from 2027-29, the simplest path may be keeping De La Cruz in the first place.
Boston does have some willingness to deal from the big-league side, as shown by the Connelly Early-for-Curtis Mead swap. The club is also said to be open to moving Jarren Duran.
Even so, its most valuable chip is probably 20-year-old shortstop Franklin Arias, who was just promoted to Triple-A. McCaffrey and Ken Rosenthal recently reported that Arias has drawn interest and could help the Red Sox land a shortstop with “multiple years of club control.”
Boston has also been tied to Zach Neto of the Angels and Otto Lopez of the Marlins, though talks with Miami for Lopez are reportedly over. CJ Abrams is another controllable shortstop who would make sense for the Red Sox.
Shortstop isn’t the only spot Boston is trying to address. The Red Sox also need another starting pitcher and a catcher.
McCaffrey reported that Boston talked to the Reds about right-hander Hunter Greene in addition to De La Cruz. Greene has drawn plenty of attention, but McCaffrey said Cincinnati isn’t “particularly inclined” to move the All-Star starter unless the offer is strong enough, while USA Today’s Bob Nightengale said Greene is “no longer available.”
Behind the plate, Alex Speier of the Boston Globe reported that the Red Sox have interest in Marlins catcher Liam Hicks. Miami is believed to be open to offers for Hicks, who is in the middle of a breakout sophomore season.
The 27-year-old has 14 home runs and a 120 wRC+ in 100 games. His quality-of-contact numbers hint that he may be outperforming his true level right now, and there’s a real question about whether he has a long-term home at catcher.
Even so, he would be a low-cost, controllable upgrade for a Red Sox club that has gotten even less from its catchers than from its shortstops. He wouldn’t change the lineup the way De La Cruz would, but he looks like the more realistic target.
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