Now that the Boston Red Sox have been eliminated from the postseason, fans have the option to dwell on the past or move forward and start thinking about 2027.
With the latter option in mind, Elly De La Cruz has already been floated (again!) as a primary trade target for Boston this winter (courtesy of Bleacher Report's Zachary D. Rymer). Let's unpack if and how a De La Cruz-Red Sox deal would make sense.
Are the Red Sox even capable of trading for Elly De La Cruz at this point?
The Red Sox discussed SS Elly De La Cruz with the Reds but could not line up on a deal, according to @Sean_McAdam.
— Gordo (@BOSSportsGordo) August 1, 2026
The Sox offered mostly prospects, but the Reds were more interested in young major leaguers. The Red Sox weren’t willing to subtract from their MLB roster. pic.twitter.com/2EAcSwfIk4
It's been widely reported that Boston talked with Cincinnati about De La Cruz at the trade deadline. While a Franklin Arias-centric package might've gotten a deal done, the Red Sox weren't willing to include Arias. Boston reportedly made a non-Arias offer that the Reds weren't interested in.
Rymer wrote in his piece that Boston would have to include either Arias or Payton Tolle in a new attempt to trade for De La Cruz this offseason. In essence, the Red Sox would have to change their stance from the deadline.
It's also worth noting that Boston has even less of a store of trade assets this time around, seeing as they gave away a haul in the Adley Rutschman deal that featured, among others, Anthony Eyanson and Kyson Witherspoon.
It's not that Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow is hesitant to mix up the roster. He was very active in 2026 retooling the Red Sox, which involved moves both good and questionable.
Breslow's never been afraid to trade top pitching talent (Connelly Early, most recently) or intriguing, MLB-ready position players (Marcelo Mayer, most recently), but Tolle and Arias would represent a slightly different tier than both of the aforementioned categories. Tolle has established himself as a very important starting pitcher for the Red Sox, and Arias is the best prospect in their system. Trade either one of them for De La Cruz, and now you're really out of assets (and perhaps would field a worse MLB team moving forward, in the case of losing Tolle).
Red Sox should lean into the discomfort and be open to trading Franklin Arias
The only deal that Cincinnati is bound to not refuse is one that features Boston's best young starter or their best prospect overall. That's not exactly an attractive situation for Breslow and the Red Sox to enter into, which is why a De La Cruz deal feels unlikely.
On the other hand, De La Cruz's age (24) and contract situation (under team control through 2029) make an Arias trade one that the Red Sox should probably consider. Unless Boston feels that Arias will be a better player than De La Cruz over the next three to five years, why shouldn't this be something to pull the trigger on? After all, the Red Sox need a shortstop who can produce now, with Trevor Story aging and ever in danger of missing time due to injury.
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