Buried in Bob Nightengale's USA Today deadline recap was one sentence that probably stopped most Red Sox fans mid-scroll: "The Boston Red Sox tried to convince the Cincinnati Reds to trade shortstop Elly De La Cruz, but never came close to acquiring him."
Since there was no momentum and likely no realistic possibility of this, for fun, let's build the offer that might have got it done.
Let's start with why Cincinnati would say "no" to trading De La Cruz. He's controlled through 2029, a two-time All-Star hitting .271 with an .847 OPS and 20 home runs, and is still just 24 years old. He is also just two years removed from swiping 67 bags, and the dude is durable: he played all 162 games last year and 160 the year before.
Per MassLive's Sean McAdam, Boston's actual offer was "mostly made up of prospects," and the Reds wanted "young major leaguers" instead. That's the real gap — not the names, but the format.
A trade package headlined by Franklin Arias and Kristian Campbell might be enough to net Red Sox Elly De La Cruz from Reds
The Red Sox had discussions with the Reds about Elly De La Cruz, but couldn’t match up, per @Sean_McAdam.
— Tyler Milliken (@tylermilliken_) August 1, 2026
The Red Sox offered a package mostly made up of prospects, but it wasn’t enough to tempt the Reds, who were more interested in young major leaguers. pic.twitter.com/pMRKX5sQgM
A real offer starts with Franklin Arias. Boston's untouchable No. 1 prospect is the only piece with the pedigree to open this conversation, and Cincinnati, trading a premium shortstop, would want a premium shortstop back as the anchor. Pair him with Yoeilin Cespedes, who has some extreme pull-side power or Dorian Soto, the 18-year old switch-hitting shortstop in his own right who gives the Reds a true up-the-middle hedge if Arias' bat doesn't fully play. They are exactly the kind of two-shortstop insurance policy a team surrendering a 24-year-old star would demand.
Then, to satisfy the "young major leaguers" ask directly, attach Kristian Campbell: a former top 10 prospect nationally, still just 23, controlled for years on a below-market extension, and a change-of-scenery buy-low bet with real offensive pedigree even after a rough first full season.
That's a real return — a true shortstop prospect, a second one as insurance with big upside, and a controllable big leaguer with promise. With that said, if I am Cincy, I still wouldn't do that deal, and I would require some sort of pitching upside. I would want one of Boston's highest upside arms like an Anthony Eyanson-type, or a major-league ready arm with multiple years of control, like Jake Bennett.
Of course, this is just a pure fantasy as Boston probably couldn't have made this deal and the Adley Rutschman deal. Landing Rutschman already cost the Red Sox three of their top six prospects — Eyanson, Kyson Witherspoon, Enddy Azocar and Player To Be Named Later Harold Rivas — plus catcher Carlos Narváez. There wasn't a second package of that magnitude sitting in the system behind it without ruining the entire system for two guys.
If Boston wanted De La Cruz badly enough to build this offer, Arias almost certainly had to be available, and the front office would have had to choose one blockbuster or the other, not both.
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