Whereas the White Sox have been one of many main sellers within the deadline market, certainly one of their prime commerce candidates doesn’t look like going wherever, as reporter Francys Romero (X hyperlink) hears from sources that Luis Robert Jr. is “unlikely” to be on the transfer at this level. MLB.com’s Scott Merkin concurs, and so whereas an unexpectedly large commerce provide would possibly change issues earlier than tomorrow’s 5pm CT deadline, odds are Robert will nonetheless be in a White Sox uniform on July 31.
Robert missed about two months this season on account of a hip flexor pressure, and is hitting .201/.242/.440 with 12 homers and 13 steals over 220 plate appearances getting into in the present day’s motion. With only a 99 wRC+ to indicate for his manufacturing, Robert isn’t precisely placing on a present for potential suitors, so it isn’t shocking that the White Sox would possibly need to maintain off till the offseason to reignite any commerce talks. If Robert returns to his 2023 type over the season’s last two months, it should do lots to re-establish his commerce worth and to assist Chicago’s probabilities at discovering an acceptable return.
Signed to a six-year, $50MM contract earlier than his MLB profession even started, Robert remains to be one thing of an unproven amount as he approaches his twenty seventh birthday, as accidents have restricted his full potential. Enjoying in 145 video games final season, Robert hit .264/.315/.542 with 38 homers and completed twelfth in AL MVP voting, which offered proof that Robert may be an elite participant when wholesome. A extra critical hip flexor difficulty in 2021 after which a wide range of accidents in 2022 restricted him to 166 video games over these two seasons, although he nonetheless managed a .307/.344/.486 slash line and 25 dwelling runs in 697 PA, principally delivering the equal of 1 spectacular full season.
Past Robert’s manufacturing on the sphere, his contractual management provides to his worth as a commerce chip. He’s owed $15MM in 2025, and the White Sox then maintain $20MM membership choices on his companies for each 2026 and 2027. That is fairly an inexpensive worth for a participant with a celebrity ceiling, and thus the Sox might add for an enormous commerce bundle to additional support their rebuilding efforts.
Given the potential size of Robert’s deal, the White Sox might even nonetheless view him as a contributor to their subsequent profitable staff, in the event that they really feel they’re beginning to make headway on a revived roster. In fact, that may require lots of progress in fairly quick order from a 27-81 staff that’s threatening to ship certainly one of baseball’s worst-ever seasons, so it would look like a protracted shot if the Sox are capable of get on monitor earlier than Robert’s time with the membership is over.
