Will A Contender Take A Risk On Luis Robert's Upside?

Forbes

5 hours ago

BALTIMORE, MD - MAY 31: Luis Robert Jr. #88 of the Chicago White Sox looks on from the dugout ... More during the game between the Chicago White Sox and the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on Saturday, May 31, 2025 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Alyssa Howell/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
The Red Sox sent shock waves through baseball Sunday night, when they ended a cold war with their best hitter, Rafael Devers, by trading him to San Francisco. Will another contender follow the Giants' bold lead by rolling the dice on White Sox center fielder Luis Robert?
Unlike Devers, there is minimal financial risk in acquiring Robert. The 28-year-old is due only about $10 million for the remainder of this season and a buyout of his $20-million option for 2026. That's not bad for a speed-power player with Gold Glove skills who is only two years removed from an All-Star season.
But Robert has remained with the rebuilding White Sox this long only because his production has been in decline since last June, when he returned from two months on the Injured List with a strained right hip flexor.
The risk comes in his performance.
The Sox made Robert available to other teams before the deadline last July and again in the off-season but no one met the team's high asking price. General Manager Chris Getz has kept hoping the lightning would return to Robert's bat, giving him a chance to get multiple teams interested in him.
But Robert goes into a Wednesday night game against St. Louis hitting .190 with six home runs and 21 stolen bases.
He dug a hole in the first few weeks of the season (11-for-80) and hasn't been able to get out of it, hitting only .213 with four homers and 22 RBI in his last 45 games. Every time Robert creates a spark — like a 7-for-19 stretch in five games last week — it's easy to see how he could appeal to teams like the Phillies, Padres, Yankees and Mariners, among others.
'There would be plenty of teams take a flier on him,' said Sirius XM analyst Jim Duquette, a former Mets GM and Orioles executive. 'The question is what is Chris Getz trying to get for him? … If he changes teams, you might get that All-Star level — maybe not quite that All-Star level — but you're getting a lot of value out of him.'
Getz most notably turned down overtures from the Reds last winter. He was seeking 21-year-old shortstop Edwin Arroyo and at least one more of Cincinnati's top five prospects, according to reports at the time, and wouldn't settle for a smaller deal.
"Luis has gotten a ton of attention," Getz said last December. "And I say that because he's got superstar ability. And for us, we just got to keep this guy on the field...We're looking at an All-Star-type player and I wouldn't be surprised if he doesn't garner some MVP votes.'
While Robert generated 5.3 WAR in 2023, he was a 1.4 WAR player last season and is setting at replacement level (0.0) this season.
'I think the White Sox missed their opportunity to get something decent for him,' Duquette said. 'You're looking at (a return that's) barely better than (Getz) got for Eloy Jimenez last year, unfortunately. The value has just been sucked right out of Luis Robert. Now if he has a huge month, that can change, but right now it 's going to be hard to get much for him.''
Jimenez, who won a Silver Slugger Award in 2020, battled injuries over most of his six seasons in Chicago before being traded to Baltimore for 26-year-old lefty reliever Trey McGough, who retired abruptly after a poor start to the 2025 season.
It's possible the White Sox will look to trade Robert as part of a package that includes some pitching. Their inventory of potentially marketable pieces includes starters Adrian Houser and Aaron Civale, swingman Tyler Alexander and relievers Brandon Eisert, Cam Booser, Steven Wilson and Dan Altavilla.
One way or another, Robert's time with the White Sox is coming to an end. Getz might as well bite the bullet and give him a chance to make a difference elsewhere.
.