Red Sox Blockbuster Trade Proposal Lands Elly De La Cruz

Gunnar Henderson and Elly De La Cruz Are This Offseason’s Most Interesting Trade Chips.

That is the headline from FanGraphs, which broke down why both young shortstops are drawing serious trade interest this winter.

For the Boston Red Sox, the target is clear: Elly De La Cruz of the Cincinnati Reds.

Multiple reporters have connected Boston to De La Cruz in recent weeks.

Rob Bradford first floated the idea on Halloween.

Chris Cotillo of MassLive included a De La Cruz trade in his list of bold Red Sox offseason predictions.

Jim Bowden later doubled down on the rumors, adding CJ Abrams to the list of possible targets.

The reason is simple: the 2026-27 free agent shortstop class is weak.

Mauricio Dubón and J.P. Crawford are the best available — useful players, but not building blocks.

Any team with a shortstop-sized hole is better off looking at the trade market.

De La Cruz just finished the best season of his young career.

The 24-year-old set career highs in home runs (30), walks, batting average (.283), on-base percentage (.365), slugging percentage (.515), and OPS (.880).

He also cut his strikeouts and errors to career lows.

In September, he was named National League Player of the Month after slashing .348/.437/.719 with nine homers, six doubles, six stolen bases, and 19 RBI.

He played at an MVP level down the stretch.

De La Cruz and teammate Sal Stewart were both named Silver Slugger finalists.

Stewart, a rookie, had one of the best debut seasons in MLB history — 32 homers, 112 RBI, and a .263 average.

But for Boston, the question is whether De La Cruz is worth the price.

The Red Sox already have Franklin Arias, the No. 2 prospect in all of baseball, waiting at shortstop.

Arias is ranked second among all 30 MLB organizations, not just within the Red Sox system.

Some insiders believe Arias could be the long-term answer at a fraction of the cost.

One reporter, Jimmy Stewart of Felger & Mazz, even said he would prefer Otto Lopez of the Marlins over De La Cruz, calling De La Cruz "more sizzle than steak."

But the trade rumors persist.

The FanGraphs analysis also examined Gunnar Henderson of the Orioles as another trade chip.

Henderson put up 7.9 WAR and a 154 wRC+ as a 23-year-old in 2024, finishing fourth in MVP voting.

Since then, his production has dropped.

He hit 37 homers in 2024, then just 17 and 24 in the following two seasons.

His slugging fell from .529 to .420 across 2025 and 2026.

Henderson revealed after the 2026 season that shoulder and wrist injuries were partly to blame.

A diving play in 2025 caused a shoulder impingement that affected his bat plane.

He also played half of 2026 with a sore wrist.

A fully healed Henderson could bounce back in 2027.

But for now, his trade value is lower than it was two years ago.

The Reds, meanwhile, have no urgency to move De La Cruz.

He is under team control through at least 2029, and the Reds just saw him become a Silver Slugger finalist.

The last Red to win a Silver Slugger while playing a full season with the team was Nick Castellanos in 2021.

Brandon Drury won it in 2022 but was traded to the Padres before the season ended.

De La Cruz and Stewart could make Reds history — the last time two Reds won Silver Sluggers in the same season was 1989.

But the trade chatter is real.

Jim Bowden, a former GM turned analyst, has repeatedly linked Boston to De La Cruz.

Chris Cotillo called a De La Cruz trade one of his boldest predictions for the offseason.

Jeff Passan even floated a deal involving Otto Lopez and Liam Hicks from the Marlins at the trade deadline, but the Marlins were not interested.

For the Red Sox, the logic is straightforward: De La Cruz is a proven star at 24, with power, speed, and improved discipline.