The Boston Red Sox have a long-term question mark at shortstop right now.

Trevor Story is still with the team, but his future with the organization is anything but clear. Story will make $25 million in 2027 and then has a 2028 club option. At this point, he isn't fully guaranteed to be a part of the 2027 plans. No. 1 prospect Franklin Arias could be a long-term option, but there are no guarantees when it comes to prospects. Marcelo Mayer was supposed to be the shortstop of the future, but now he's a member of the San Francisco Giants. At this point, Arias seems like the best bet as the long-term guy, but there are no guarantees.

If the Red Sox want to minimize question marks, they could go out and try to bring a star to town who has already had big league success. Around the trade deadline, Boston was linked to a handful of options, including Cincinnati Reds superstar Elly De La Cruz. He'd be someone who would cost an arm and a leg, but who would give the Red Sox a legit superstar at one of the game's most important positions for at least the next three seasons. On Friday, The Athletic's Jim Bowden raised some eyebrows and said Boston made a "very strong offer" for De La Cruz ahead of the trade deadline and that he thinks the Reds "absolutely" could look to flip the 24-year-old this winter.

"Absolutely I do," Bowden said when asked if he thinks the Reds could trade De La Cruz this winter. "Look, this is a fascinating kind of situation, right? They made him an offer that was more than Joey Votto and De La Cruz turned it down. His agent is Scott Boras. I don't think you're going to see the Reds, or anyone else, sign De La Cruz until he gets to free agency. ... The Red Sox's Craig Breslow did call the Reds at the deadline and made a very strong offer for him that got turned down."

Eyebrows Are Raised

Around the trade deadline, there were some rumors about Boston having interest in De La Cruz, but Bowden's take is even more interesting. The fact that there weren't just talks, but reportedly a "very strong offer," shows that Boston wasn't messing around.

While discussing the Reds, Bowden said that the organization has had conversations wondering why they haven't been able to contend like the Milwaukee Brewers, despite a similar payroll and that the idea of trading stars early, like Milwaukee, was talked about.

If the Reds are open to shopping De La Cruz, as Bowden insinuated, he's the guy you go for no matter what. The free agent market is weak and will be expensive. Randy Arozarena is the best bat heading to the market. He's a great player, but wouldn't necessarily fit the roster well and likely will get a deal in the nine-figure range. That's not it. De La Cruz has three more seasons of team control and won't be very expensive from a payroll perspective. From a trade perspective, he would cost a fortune. Any deal would likely have to start with Arias. We recently mapped out a four-for-1 mock trade that would bring De La Cruz to Boston for Arias, Juan Valera (Boston's No. 3 prospect), Franklin Primera (Boston's No. 4 prospect), and Jake Bennett.

If not this deal, maybe something like Arias, Jarren Duran, Valera and Bennett, or something of that nature. No matter what, you'd have to give up a lot to get him.

What Boston's Lineup Could Look Like

It's interesting that Boston made what was considered a strong offer this past summer. Now, the offseason is here and Boston already has made two trades. If De La Cruz is available, he'd be the final piece.

Imagine a lineup that could look like this:

1. Roman Anthony, LF
2. Adley Rutschman, C
3. Willson Contreras, 1B
4. Elly De La Cruz, SS
5. Wilyer Abreu, RF
6. Ceddanne Rafaela, CF
7. Curtis Mead, 2B
8. Trevor Story, DH
9. Caleb Durbin, 3B

You might not be able to run that lineup out for long. Rutschman will be a free agent after the 2027 season, barring an extension. De La Cruz has three seasons of control and then will get some sort of mega deal. If Story is still in Boston in 2027, it's hard to believe that will continue into 2028.

A lineup like this would be the best in baseball. Plus, the Red Sox already have the best bullpen in the league and the beginning of one of baseball's most elite rotations. If you were to trade Bennett and lose Sonny Gray, the Red Sox would still have Garrett Crochet, Payton Tolle, Ranger Suarez and Brayan Bello to start the rotation.

If De La Cruz becomes available, he's the guy you go for to try to win a title in 2027.