New Red Sox Trade Rumors on Pursuit of Elly De La Cruz Ahead of MLB Deadline

The Boston Red Sox have been so far unsuccessful in a bid to acquire Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz, MassLive's Sean McAdam reported Saturday.

According to McAdam, the Reds "are at least willing to listen to teams who might meet their admittedly high asking price" but the Red Sox haven't yet matched them.

McAdam reported Boston's offer "mostly" included prospects, while the Reds are "more interested in young major leaguers."

The MLB trade window closes Monday at 6 p.m. ET. The Reds are expected to sell while heading into the deadline with a 52-57 record.

The Red Sox are planning on "going big" at the deadline, per ESPN's Jeff Passan, after going 21-4 in July to climb back into postseason contention.

De La Cruz has slashed .279/.358/.508 through 90 games of his fourth season with the Reds, adding 18 home runs and 48 RBI.

His contract remains under team control through his age-27 season in 2029 before he hits unrestricted free agency ahead of the 2030 campaign, per Spotrac.

The Reds qualified for the postseason in 2025 but were swept from the NL Wild Card round by the Los Angeles Dodgers, extending a franchise playoff win drought that dates back to 2012.

Cincinnati could likely get a significant haul should the franchise decide at the deadline to move players like De La Cruz and right-handed pitcher Hunter Greene, who The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal recently reported is "drawing significant interest."

USA Today's Bob Nightengale reported Friday, however, that Greene is "no longer available."

The Reds' reported unwillingness to to trade Greene, combined with the apparent search for young talent rather than prospects in return for De La Cruz, could indicate the franchise is hoping to retool rather than rebuild at the deadline.

This reportedly isn't the first time the Red Sox have been stymied by a high asking price for a shortstop. McAdam previously reported a potential deal for the Miami Marlins' Otto Lopez was "dead" because the Red Sox were unwilling to offer a top prospect like Franklin Arias.

McAdam did not confirm if the Red Sox have included Arias in any offers for De La Cruz.

Rosenthal and Jen McCaffrey previously reported for The Athletic that Arias, a 20-year-old shortstop ranked No. 7 among all prospects by MLB Pipeline, is a "popular trade target" who "could help the team land a major leaguer at his position under multiple years of club control."

Whether the Red Sox are willing to put Arias on the trade block could impact if the club is able to upgrade at shortstop ahead of the deadline.