The Chicago White Sox have been one of the worst teams in baseball over the last two seasons, fielding one of the worst MLB rosters around All-Star outfielder Luis Robert. After choosing not to trade their biggest star at his peak value at the MLB trade deadline last year, the White Sox are reportedly open to it this season.
Chicago opened the door to being sellers this year when it traded Dylan Cease to the Chicago White Sox. At the time, there was still league-wide interest in Robert, who was coming off a career-best season and he is on one of the best contracts in MLB. However, Chicago decided to keep him.
- Luis Robert stats (FanGraphs): .188/.220/.479, .699 OPS,4 home runs in 50 plate appearances
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Months later, Robert is having a career-worst season. A year removed from hitting 38 home runs with 20 steals and posting a .857 OPS, the 26-year-old entered MLB games today with a .699 OPS and more strikeouts (21) than hits (nine), walks (three) and runs scored (six) combined in 48 at-bats.
The bigger problem for Chicago is that Robert suffered a right hip flexor strain in April. The injury sidelined him from April 6 through June 3, a nearly two-month absence that raised concerns about his durability. Now that he’s back, Robert has popped up in MLB trade rumors only with a massive asking price from Chicago.
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According to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale while the White Sox are “listening to offers” on Robert, the team would be seeking a trade package “greater” than what the San Diego Padres gave to the Washington Nationals in exchange for Juan Soto.
- Luis Robert contract: $12.5 million salary in 2024, $15 million salary in 2025, $20 million club option for 2026, $20 million club option for 2027
For context, Washington traded Soto and Josh Bell to San Diego ahead of the MLB trade deadline for infielder C.J. Abrams along with top prospects MacKenzie Gore, Robert Hassell III, James Wood and Jarlin Susana. In 2022, MLB.com had Abrams (9th overall), Hassell (37th overall) and Gore (86th overall) rated as top 100 prospects. Years later. Gore owns a 3.57 ERA this season with a 27.6 percent strikeout rate and Wood is viewed as a consensus top-five prospect in baseball.
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However, Chicago might have a tough time getting that level of return this summer. Nightengale noted that it’s a “longshot” any contender would sacrifice the prospect capital necessary to acquire Robert at a time when there is real concern he’ll need to be on an innings limit this season.
So, while the White Sox are open to trading Robert, the asking price in combination with Robert’s injury history makes a deal extremely unlikely. While he still has time to regain some of his trade value, it’s already become pretty evident that Chicago missed its best opportunity to trade him at maximum value.
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