In peak form, Chicago White Sox outfielder Luis Robert Jr. would be a prime target on the trade market. But Robert is far from peak form.
Even he doubts his trade value ahead of MLB’s July 31 trade deadline.
The 27-year-old former All-Star, a holdover from Chicago’s brief window of contention in 2020 and 2021, addressed his trade value Tuesday in an interview with MLB.com’s Scott Merkin.
“Right now, as my season is going, I don’t think anyone is going to take a chance on me,” Robert told Merkin.
That’s not going to help the White Sox in their quest to load up on prospects.
But it’s not like Robert is giving away any secrets. A cursory glance at his stats tells the story. Robert is slashing a paltry .183/.281/.308 this season, with five home runs and 17 RBI. His MLB-best 17 stolen bases are a testament to his athleticism and upside when he does manage to get on base.
Robert’s once-promising future is in doubt
Getting on base has been a challenge since Robert’s All-Star campaign in 2023. He slashed .264/.315/.542 that season, with 38 home runs, 80 RBI and 20 stolen bases in a campaign that earned him a Silver Slugger award and some MVP votes.
It marked the peak of the form he flashed as a rookie in 2020, when he won a Gold Glove and finished second in Rookie of the Year voting. Robert was a strong contributor that season and the next as the White Sox made the playoffs.
He stepped up his performance in the playoffs, with a .393/.452/.500 slash line in seven playoff games across 2020 and ’21, and appeared to be a core player for a young team with a bright future.
Did White Sox miss window to trade Robert?
But Chicago’s future quickly crumbled amid injuries, underperformance and an exodus of young talent. The White Sox finished 81-81 in 2022 and fell to 61-101 during Robert’s All-Star campaign.
In hindsight, that was the time for the White Sox to trade Robert. There was no reason to retain a 25-year-old All-Star on a franchise in free fall, facing a long road back to contention.
The White Sox followed 2023 with a 41-121 campaign in 2024 that’s by some metrics the worst in the modern history of baseball. And Robert’s value tanked alongside that of his team. His slash line plummeted to .224/.278/.379 last year before this season’s dip below the Mendoza Line.
Now there’s little reason for Chicago to hope that a team will part with prospects of value in exchange for Robert as long as his struggles continue. That said, if he manages to turn a corner, there’s a chance at least one team would be willing to gamble on a return to form.
Just don’t expect the White Sox to land a haul in return.
