Gunnar Henderson and Elly De La Cruz Lead MLB’s Intriguing Trade Market
Henderson offers a change-of-scene rebound bet; De La Cruz brings a peak-year breakout. Either shortstop could reshape a contender’s offseason.
The shortstop market’s most compelling names may be the ones who aren’t free agents. With this winter’s top options limited to useful players such as Mauricio Dubón and J.P. Crawford, teams looking for a potential star have reason to explore trades for Baltimore’s Gunnar Henderson or Cincinnati’s Elly De La Cruz. Both are young, talented and not under long-term contracts. Their cases are strikingly different: Henderson is a rebound wager, while De La Cruz has just delivered his strongest season at the plate.
Henderson is a bet on health and a return to form
Henderson’s 2024 season remains the clearest measure of his upside. At 23, he produced 7.9 WAR and a 154 wRC+, hit .281 with 37 home runs and stole 21 bases. He finished fourth in MVP voting. The drop since then has been substantial: he hit 17 home runs in 2025 and 24 in 2026, while his slugging percentage fell from .529 in 2024 to .420 across the past two seasons.
There’s a physical explanation for at least part of that slide. Henderson said a shoulder impingement, caused by a dive for a ball in 2025, affected his bat plane. He also played through a wrist problem for half of 2026. His underlying hitting measures have declined alongside his conventional stats: wRC+, wOBA, expected wOBA and expected slugging percentage all point in the same direction, as do average exit velocity, hard-hit rate and barrel rate. Those last measures make the injuries especially relevant to any evaluation of his recent performance. Davy Andrews examined Henderson’s injuries in October.
Still, two down seasons don’t erase the player he was at his peak. Henderson is 25, his bat speed remains in the 73rd percentile, and his walk rate has settled near 10%. He’s chasing more pitches, but that’s an area a new coaching environment and a more disciplined approach could address. A healthy 2027 could look very different from the last two years. The question for a trade partner is whether the likely upside justifies paying for it while the risk is visible.
Baltimore has reasons to listen, even if a deal is far from certain. The Orioles have finished below .500 in consecutive seasons and want help in the rotation and outfield. Andy Kostka of the Baltimore Banner reported that the club is open to discussing any player except Pete Alonso. He also reported that a Henderson trade is unlikely and would require a steep return, while the Orioles are keeping their options open.
The recent departure of Adley Rutschman, who was traded to a division rival, adds to the uncertainty around Baltimore’s homegrown core. Jackson Holliday and Colton Cowser haven’t yet met expectations in the majors, and the club could lose Trevor Rogers to free agency. Henderson is the kind of player who could bring back the young talent needed to reset a roster. Moving a 25-year-old with his ceiling would be painful, but that ceiling also gives Baltimore a chance to command a major return.
The prospect rankings point to possible fits. The Braves, Blue Jays and Mariners all received below-average production at shortstop in 2026, and each has a prospect who plays outfield or pitches — areas Baltimore reportedly wants to address. Seattle could discuss George Kirby or Bryce Miller alongside prospects Kade Anderson and Ryan Sloan. Toronto has options including Brandon Valenzuela, Brett Bateman and Spencer Miles. A bigger offer could involve Trey Yesavage.
De La Cruz is the bigger upside play
De La Cruz arrives at the trade conversation from the opposite direction. In 2026, he recorded the first 30/30 season of his career, cleared a 10% walk rate and a .500 slugging percentage, and improved his exit velocity. His power, arm strength and sprint speed are all evident on the field and in the tracking data. The concern is whether his imposing physical style will hold up over time, but his recent availability offers reassurance: he played all 162 games in 2025, 160 in 2024 and 143 in 2026, when a minor quad strain limited him.
Cincinnati’s position makes the possibility worth considering. The Reds have finished between 75 and 83 wins in each of the past four seasons, and their path to a stronger roster depends heavily on player development and trades. Sal Stewart offers promise, but De La Cruz and Stewart alone don’t give the lineup enough to keep pace with the Brewers and Cubs. Cincinnati could try to build a deeper prospect base and time its next push around changes in the division.
A recent Jim Bowden report in The Athletic named the Red Sox as a potential suitor. Boston could move Trevor Story to second base and put De La Cruz at shortstop. The most notable potential trade piece is 20-year-old Franklin Arias, a Dominican shortstop who hit .323/.400/.557 with a 145 wRC+ across Double-A and Triple-A in 2026. That performance earned him a 60-FV grade and the No. 2 spot on The Board, where he’s described as “among the highest-floored prospects in baseball.” Arias has a strong profile, though at 5-foot-11 and 170 pounds, he doesn’t have De La Cruz’s physical tools.
Other young players could draw interest this winter, including Taj Bradley, Zach Neto and Eury Pérez. Henderson and De La Cruz, though, offer a different level of potential. Henderson would be a bet that health and a fresh start can restore a recent MVP-level season. De La Cruz would be a bet that his 2026 breakout is the beginning of something even better. Either trade would demand a serious package; the team that pays the price could get the shortstop who changes its ceiling.
