The Boston Red Sox were eliminated in the first round of the postseason, and they must now focus on filling holes on their roster.
There were reports at the trade deadline that the Boston Red Sox were inquiring about star shortstops with control. They were linked to names like Jeremy Peña, Xavier Edwards, Otto Lopez and Elly De La Cruz. Ultimately, the Red Sox settled for Curtis Mead to play second base.
Mead was injured in his first game with the team, but he is expected to be the second baseman for the next few years. The team traded Marcelo Mayer and welcomed Trevor Story back to play shortstop. However, The Athletic's Jim Bowden revealed recently that the team made a "very strong offer" for De La Cruz.
"Craig Breslow did call the Reds at the deadline and made an offer, a very strong offer, for them that got turned down," Bowden said on D-Mac and Reiter.
Breslow was clearly interested in adding a star shortstop that could be with the team for more than just last season. Adding De La Cruz would have been a huge move that reshapes the future of the franchise, and if he was willing to make a strong offer then, could he try again in the offseason?
The big part of this entire situation is whether the Reds are actually willing to part ways with him. According to Bowden, the Reds owner spoke to the team president after the season and pointed to the Milwaukee Brewers' formula of trading star players before free agency for hauls.
That formula helps the Brewers stay competitive year in and year out without spending big money. The Reds offered De La Cruz a contract worth more than Joey Votto's and he turned it down. With Scott Boras representing him, the Reds know there is no way he's going to sign an extension, and they won't win a bidding war on the open market.
Trading him makes sense, and the Red Sox make sense as a fit. They would have to move on from Story, and top prospect Franklin Arias would seemingly have to be involved in any package. However, De La Cruz can better help the Red Sox win now than Arias or any prospects.
If Arias was involved in trade talks at the deadline, as many suspect, then he's clearly not off limits.