Luis Robert Jr. (Photo by Quinn Harris/Getty Images)
A blockbuster trade proposal has the Chicago White Sox trading All-Star center fielder Luis Robert Jr. to a top National League team in a move that would shake up the 2025 pennant race.
The White Sox are in the midst of a lengthy rebuild, having already traded ace pitcher Garrett Crochet to the Boston Red Sox in a significant move last week. Up next, general manager Chris Getz should shop Luis Robert Jr. for another bundle of prospects that could accelerate the rebuild.
Bleacher Report’s Zachary D. Rymer proposed a blockbuster trade idea that has Chicago sending its star outfielder to the New York Mets, the lucky winners of the Juan Soto free agency sweepstakes, in exchange for two elite prospects in pitcher Blade Tidwell and infielder Ronny Mauricio:
“The Mets would get a veteran player with big talent and significant injury risk, and the White Sox would get a young player with big talent and significant injury risk.
This is referring to Mauricio, whose recovery from a torn ACL completely wiped out his 2024 season. He’s only 23, though, and he was a 20-20 guy in the minors in 2022 and 2023.
For his part, Tidwell is more than just a great baseball name. He’s a 6’4″, 207-pounder with three above-average pitches, and he could impact the majors as soon as 2025.”
After losing to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLCS, Mets owner Steve Cohen wasted little time closing the gap with the star-studded defending World Series champions. He has already landed Soto on a record-setting $765 million deal, but the lineup would be that much more potent with Luis Robert Jr. batting behind the 26-year-old phenom.
Luis Robert Jr. Looks To Bounce Back From Down 2024 Season
Robert Jr. had the worst season of his career on a historically bad White Sox team, batting just .224 with 14 homers, 35 RBI and a .657 OPS. His career track record (a .267 BA and .790 OPS) suggests that positive regression is on the horizon.
A team with title aspirations like the Mets should bank on Robert Jr. bouncing back and acquire him to complement Soto.
