MLB Contender Tried to Pry Elly De La Cruz Away From Reds at Deadline

The Reds mostly stood pat at this year's Trade Deadline.

Aug 8, 2026; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly de la Cruz (44) on the field against the Washington Nationals during the second inning at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Heading into the 2026 Trade Deadline, everyone thought the Reds would be full sellers. However, the deadline came and went and the Reds made just two trades. They sent Nataniel Lowe to the Cleveland Guardians for a 19-year-old pitcher and sent left-handed reliever Caleb Ferguson to the St. Louis Cardinals for international bonus pool money.

On Sunday, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported that the Boston Red Sox tried to convince the Reds to trade Elly De La Cruz.

"The Boston Red Sox tried to convince the Cincinnati Reds to trade shortstop Elly de la Cruz, but never came close to acquiring him," Nightengale wrote.

The Reds were said to be listening on everyone ahead of the deadline, but they likely never had any intention to deal De La Cruz, who is under team control through the 2029 season.

It would likely take a package similar to what the San Diego Padres sent the Washington Nationals for Juan Soto for the Reds to even consider parting with their young shortstop.

Dane Myers Earns MLB Play of the Week

Cincinnati Reds center fielder Dane Myers (17) catches a fly ball off the bat of Henry Bolte in the first inning of the MLB Interleague game between the Cincinnati Reds and the Athletics at Great American Ball Park in downtown Cincinnati on Thursday, Aug. 6, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Dane Myers was awarded MLB Play of the Week for July 27 through August 2 after making a spectacular catch in center field during the Reds' 2-0 win over the Guardians. Cincinnati's defense has been impressive beyond that play as well. According to Inside Edge, the Reds have converted 69 of 226 non-routine opportunities this season, the fifth-best mark in the Major Leagues.

Elly De La Cruz Continues to Crush the Baseball

De La Cruz entered Sunday's game with an average exit velocity of 93.9 mph, the fourth-highest mark in the Major Leagues. He has also hit 25 balls with an exit velocity of at least 110 mph, tied for the eighth-most in baseball, while his 96.0 mph average exit velocity against pitches of 95 mph or faster ranks second in the majors.

Eugenio Suarez Continues to Make Reds History

Aug 7, 2026; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Cincinnati Reds designated hitter Eugenio Suárez (28) celebrates after hitting a solo home run against the Washington Nationals during the second inning at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Eugenio Suarez homered for the second consecutive game in Saturday night's 8-2 loss to the Nationals, hitting a game-tying solo shot in the sixth inning for his 205th career home run as a Red. Suarez is now just five home runs away from tying Ken Griffey Jr. for ninth on the franchise's all-time list. It was also the 33rd game-tying home run of his career and his 341st overall, the seventh-most in the majors since his debut in 2014.

Suarez also became just the fourth player in Reds history to homer in his 1,000th game with the team on Friday, joining Ernie Lombardi, Frank Robinson and Barry Larkin. He entered Sunday's game with 992 career RBI.