Bobby Witt Jr. Unexpectedly Came Up in Red Sox Trade Talks

In the final few days ahead of the 2026 Major League Baseball trade deadline, a handful of big-name stars were linked to the Boston Red Sox.

One that came as a surprise was Cincinnati Reds star shortstop Elly De La Cruz. While the Reds didn't trade the young superstar, clearly Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow got aggressive in search of upgrades ahead of the deadline.

Boston's biggest move of the deadline was going out and acquiring Adley Rutschman from the Baltimore Orioles. The deal was a pretty big shock, but Boston solidified a position of weakness at least for another season beyond the 2026 campaign.

Outside of catcher, shortstop was the other position talked about the most. While reports that Boston showed interest in De La Cruz came as a surprise, it sounds like he's not even the top shortstop Boston asked about. Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reported a handful of names that were at least discussed by Boston, including Bobby Witt Jr. of the Kansas City Royals.

Bobby Witt Jr. Would Be A Dream Target For Boston

Aug 8, 2026; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. (7) celebrates in the dugout after scoring a run in the third inning against the Chicago Cubs at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter Aiken-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

"Aside from some obvious franchise cornerstones who were declared off-limits ― shortstops Elly De La Cruz of the Reds and Bobby Witt Jr. of the Royals, as well as Tigers catcher Dillon Dingler ― only one target prompted a firm 'not available' declaration: Athletics catcher Shea Langeliers. Shortly after the franchise made that stance clear, Langeliers suffered a season-ending knee injury," Speier wrote.

There was a bit of speculation out there about the idea of Witt being on the move. But it didn't seem realistic in the slightest. Obviously, Boston didn't get a deal done for a shortstop. But the fact that Witt was even discussed is a shocker.

There are few players in baseball in general better than Witt. The 26-year-old is slashing .284/.355/.450 with an .805 OPS, 13 home runs, 42 RBIs, and 31 stolen bases in 100 games played. On top of this, he's also one of the very best defensive players in baseball. He's already a two-time Gold Glove Award winner and has a Platinum Glove under his belt.

On top of all of this, Witt already has a long-term deal as well. He signed an 11-year, $288.77 million deal with an opt-out after the 2030 season. If the full 11 years are used on the deal, that would be through the 2034 season. Then, there are three club options in the deal afterward.

Witt is a legit MVP contender and has years left on his deal. The fact that the Red Sox even thought about him as a potential option is surprising. He's the type of player that no team should even think about trading. While nothing got done this summer, Witt is now someone Boston should call about again in the offseason.

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