The Boston Red Sox were a no show in the AL Wild Card round, getting swept by the AL East rival New York Yankees in two games. For that, the Red Sox could use a shakeup on their roster in the form of bringing in more star power ahead of the 2027 season.
Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz should be at the top of the Red Sox's list as a trade target this winter. The Red Sox actually spoke to the Reds about De La Cruz at the trade deadline, but couldn't come to an agreement, per MassLive. And there are some roadblocks for Boston if they want to acquire a player of De La Cruz's caliber this offseason.
The Red Sox's trade challenge in landing Elly De La Cruz
To land De La Cruz, any deal would likely have to start with Boston's No. 1 ranked prospect Franklin Arias. While the young minor league shortstop is viewed as "almost untouchable," according to The Boston Globe, the Red Sox could still move him for a superstar player with multiple years of control. De La Cruz fits this bill.
The other dilemma is that the Red Sox's farm system is thin after they gutted it at the trade deadline to acquire star catcher Adley Rutschman from the AL East rival Baltimore Orioles. The Red Sox sent right-handed pitchers Anthony Eyanson (No. 13 prospect) and Kyson Witherspoon (No. 4 prospect), and outfielders Enddy Azocar (No. 12 prospect) and No. 20 prospect Harold Rivas to Baltimore for Rutschman.
So, the real question is: who else would the Red Sox deal to get De La Cruz? It's certainly going to cost more than Rutschman did, which will be challenging for Boston given the current state of their farm system. Names such as No. 5 prospect Henry Godbout and No. 6 prospect Jake Schaffner make sense since they're both shortstops. They may also have to include No. 2 prospect first baseman/outfielder Justin Gonzales in a trade package. The Reds reportedly wanted young major leaguers from the Red Sox at the deadline.
De La Cruz is still just 24 years old and comes along with three more years of control. But the Red Sox have counted too much on homegrown players in recent years and it has come back to bite them at times. That's why they should put all of their chips on the table for De La Cruz this offseason by sending Arias and others to Cincinnati without blinking.
Adding De La Cruz would give the Red Sox the type of star power they need to become World Series contenders once more. Giving up Arias is the obvious crown jewel of any deal, but coming up with the other trade pieces is what will be challenging for Boston.
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