If the Boston Red Sox are going to add a major piece this offseason by way of a trade, there are few players more intriguing than Cincinnati Reds superstar shortstop Elly De La Cruz.

De La Cruz's name has been out there a lot over the last few weeks in rumors and speculation. It's important to note that nothing should be considered likely at all. De La Cruz is a 24-year-old superstar with three seasons of control left. Even if the Reds are going to blow it up and rebuild, they don't have to make a move this offseason. They easily could next year and still get a big return. Or, even the next year. Still, the Red Sox targeted De La Cruz ahead of the 2026 trade deadline and even made an offer for him. Plus, the noise has been loud. On Friday, WEEI's Rob Bradford dropped a cryptic post on X with the young star as the focus as well.

Could Boston Actually Land Elly De La Cruz?

Bradford's post on X was in response to aggregation of a quote from Alex Speier of The Boston Globe. Speier reported that some within the Red Sox organization view top prospect Franklin Arias as "almost untouchable." Bradford shared his post without a caption, but with all of the speculation and rumors out there around De La Cruz, it's hard not to put the pieces together. Arias may be viewed as "almost untouchable," but if De La Cruz ends up being available, that could absolutely change things.

De La Cruz is just 24 years old and has three years of control left. Even if the Red Sox lost him three years from now, they'd still improve the club right now and would arguably be the top contender in the American League with him in the lineup, along with Roman Anthony, Adley Rutschman, Willson Contreras and the rest of the group.

When it comes to social media, it's hard to fully read into everything that is posted. Just because there are rumors out there, doesn't mean that Boston is going to get a deal done. Again, the Reds have three seasons of control. Arguably, they shouldn't trade a young superstar just starting to enter his prime. It would be a bad look. But if a deal centered around Arias could get the Reds interested, then Boston should oblige.

Arias isn't someone who should be moved for anyone. But if De La Cruz is available, so should Arias.