The Athletic has live coverage of the 2026 MLB Trade Deadline.How far does chief baseball officer Craig Breslow want to go to leave his mark on this resurgent Boston Red Sox team? Would he buck the franchise’s recent deadline history and trade one of the game’s top prospects to land the controllable shortstop the Red Sox seek?Those are the decisions confronting the Red Sox before Monday’s 6 p.m. ET trade deadline. Franklin Arias, their 20-year-old shortstop, ranked the No. 4 prospect in baseball per The Athletic’s Keith Law, could help the team land a major leaguer at his position under multiple years of club control, sources close to the situation who spoke on condition of anonymity because they’re not authorized to comment publicly told The Athletic.Arias is a popular trade target, but the Red Sox have not yet found a deal worth discussing, a person with knowledge of the situation but not authorized to discuss it publicly said. Breslow declined comment on the availability of any specific players.One rival executive, who spoke on condition of anonymity to be candid, said he believes the Red Sox might only trade Arias for the Washington Nationals’ CJ Abrams. The Red Sox are not necessarily as high on other shortstops who’ve been linked to the team, such as the Los Angeles Angels’ Zach Neto and Miami Marlins’ Otto Lopez. Abrams is under club control for two additional seasons, Neto and Lopez for three.Why is everyone watching for hugs before the trade deadline?Tyler Kepner and Lauren Morales-JonesAbrams, 25, is third in the majors in slugging (.563) and sixth in OPS (.930), and he would add power that Boston lacks outside of Willson Contreras. The Red Sox acquired infielder Curtis Mead from the Washington Nationals, believing his offensive transformation this season is real. They might view Abrams in the same light. However, Abrams’ defensive ratings at short are not good (-13 outs above average), potentially giving the Red Sox pause despite his offensive production.The under-the-hood offensive numbers for Neto and Lopez are not as strong as Abrams’. Neto’s expected batting average of .203 is in the third percentile, and his expected slugging percentage (.403) is in the 50th. Lopez is tied for the league lead in doubles but has a .353 batting average on balls in play, fifth highest in the league, up almost 90 points from last season. The Red Sox might fear he is bound to regress.