long-awaited louis robert jr. Trade has arrived. The Mets announced they have acquired the former All-Star center fielder from the White Sox as a young infielder and outfielder. Luis Angel Acuña and minor league right-hander truman paley. Since Robert and Acuña were each on the 40-man roster, there was no cash involved and no corresponding moves.
This puts an end to long-running trade rumors for Robert. The White Sox have retained center field through multiple rebuilding seasons. In retrospect, they certainly wish they had moved him during the 2023-24 offseason. Robert looked like a budding star entering the peak of his career after a year in the making. The past two seasons have been more difficult as he has struggled while battling injuries and answering questions about when he will be traded.
Robert received a lot of attention when he signed with the Sox from Cuba in 2017. He requested a $26 million bonus, a large sum for an international amateur that would later be prohibited by the collective bargaining agreement. Robert’s dominant performance in the minor leagues spurred further optimism, and the White Sox signed him to a $50 million extension in the 2019-20 offseason. At the time, this was the largest extension for a player due to make his MLB debut, ensuring that he would end 2020 camp without a service-time game.
Although that year’s schedule was shortened due to the pandemic, Robert hit 11 home runs as a center fielder and won a Gold Glove Award. He finished second in Rookie of the Year voting. Robert’s numbers jumped in his second year, hitting .338/.378/.567 in 296 at-bats. But a torn flexor tendon in his right hip left him injured for three months, and the combination of captivating talent and frustrating durability would be a recurring theme in his career.
The following season, Robert was placed on the disabled list three times, all due to minor issues. He stayed healthy for most of the 23rd season and showed off his star-level ceiling. Robert had 38 home runs, 36 doubles, and one triple in 595 at-bats. He hit .264/.315/.542 and won the Silver Slugger Award. FanGraphs and Baseball Reference each rated his season five wins better than his successor, taking into account his excellent center field defense.
Still, the White Sox lost by 200 points, 61-101. It was clear they were in the midst of a multi-year breakup, but chose to hang on to Robert when he had four years of affordable contractual control. If they had acquired him, they might have had multiple potential candidates.
Robert’s productivity declined as the team had two even worse seasons. He has appeared in 856 at-bats since the start of 2024, hitting .223/.288/.372. Even though he continues to battle injuries, he has a strikeout rate of nearly 30%. At the beginning of the 2024 season, his right hip relapsed and he was sidelined for two months. He suffered a strain in his left hamstring last summer, which left him in pain throughout September.
Physical tools remain reassuring. Robert is one of the fastest players in the league despite suffering from various lower body injuries. His bat speed ranks in the 92nd percentile, according to Statcast. He’s an aggressive hitter who always gets strikeouts. If he continues to have the power and defensive impact he showed in his prime in Chicago, teams will be willing to tolerate a lower on-base percentage.
This is primarily a game-changing gamble from the Mets’ perspective. Robert just turned 28 in August, but shows no signs of physical decline. He spent the past three seasons with one of the worst teams in MLB, knowing full well that he would be traded at some point. The new environment may help him get back on track, but durability concerns will remain even if his numbers improve.
Robert will at least strengthen the defense and provide some upside on the bases. He stole 20 or more bags in three straight seasons and went 33-41 in steal attempts last year. He’s a platoon-advantage hitter with career batting averages of .293/.367/.505, which should give him an advantage against left-handed pitchers. His performance against southpaws slumped in 2024, but rebounded last season.
The biggest risk for the Mets is financial. They have assumed Robert’s entire $20 million salary and are committed to a $2 million buyout with a $20 million club option for the 2027 season. That’s not a small amount to spend on a player who hasn’t had much success over the past two years, and that’s before you factor in the tax implications.
The Mets have paid 110% tax on their expenses, as they have paid the luxury tax three times on more than $304 million in CBT payroll. Robert is guaranteed $22 million per season, and the option buyout is guaranteed money, which would result in a $24.2 million tax liability. The deal is worth $46.2 million overall, but it also includes an upside clause that could make Robert a bargain option in 2027 if he hits his ceiling. roster resources The CBT figure works out to be about $357 million, on track to surpass last year’s season-ending figure of $347 million, but that would require $91.6 million in tax payments. There’s a good chance his tax bill will exceed $100 million by the end of the 2026 season.
They are Robert’s trade and Beau Bichette Signed in the last 5 days. The Mets didn’t want to lock him into a long-term contract after the offseason. Juan Soto signature. They have compensated with heavy short-term investments to chase the upside. Robert should be an everyday center fielder as long as he’s healthy. it would push Tyrone Taylor Either in a fourth outfield role or as a stopgap in left field if there is a prospect. carson benge and jet williams The season will begin in Triple-A. seems likely to remove them from running cody bellingerA top player at a position without a contract.
The White Sox missed the opportunity to trade Robert when his value was at its peak, but they deserve some credit for exercising this year’s option instead of letting him go for free in free agency. It at least gave the Mets an interesting addition in Acuña, who felt unnecessary but is an easy target for a rebuilding team.
younger brother ronald acuña jr.Louisangel is a former Rangers signee who was acquired by the Mets in 2023. max scherzer Time-limited transaction. His pedigree and past involvement in marquee trades make him perhaps a more well-known prospect than his production warrants, but he’s not yet 24 years old and offers captain Will Venable some utility at multiple positions.
Acuña was signed as a shortstop and has the arm strength to play on the left side of the infield. The team didn’t have a lot of shortstop talent. Francisco Lindorthe Mets bounced him off with his utility ability. Acuña has plus-plus speed and could be an option in center field. He has played shortstop and center field in the Venezuelan Winter League, but most of his MLB experience has been as a second baseman.
The White Sox should have no problem putting Acuña in the lineup, even if he isn’t expected to make a push. colson montgomery He left shortstop. He could fill the center field role vacated by the Robert trade or get more playing time at second or third base. Chase Madeross, miguel vargas and lenin sosa.
The question is whether Acuña will contribute enough to earn minutes on offense once the Sox are in a better position. He hit .248/.299/.341 in his first 233 at-bats in MLB. Acuña was similarly light-hitting against Triple-A pitchers. The right-handed hitter has batted .265/.307/.360 in over 700 plate appearances at the top level of the minor leagues. Acuña has solid contact skills, but puts the ball on the ground a lot without having great escape velocity. He is a slash-and-dash type of hitter, and his best ability right now is as a runner, going 16-17 with stolen base tries in 95 MLB games last year.
Acuña doesn’t have any minor league options, so the White Sox need to keep him on the MLB roster. They wouldn’t have traded Robert for him if they didn’t intend to. Lack of roster flexibility is an even bigger problem for the Mets, who also have no option Mark Vientos and unlikely to send Brett Batty Return to Triple-A. They knew they were going to lose Acuña to waivers, but they weren’t in a position to give him playing time to take a step forward offensively. Acuña has not yet completed his first year in MLB, so Chicago could control him through the 2031 season.
The White Sox also acquired Polley, a 6-foot-2 right-hander taken by the Mets in the 12th round of last year’s draft, as a low-armer in the minors. The Harvard product was paid a $400,000 signing bonus, more than Slott. baseball america drafted him No. 435, writing in June that teams liked the riding life of his mid-90s fastball and the amount of spin on his breaking ball. Polley walked over 15% of his opponents in his draft year and posted a 4.61 ERA. His manager would have to make a big leap for him to make it to the majors, even as a reliever, but the Sox player development team is clearly intrigued by his qualities.
From a salary standpoint, trading Robert would reduce Chicago’s projected expenses to $67 million. The opening price last season was around $81 million, so this could add a depth or two late in the offseason. The Sox could acquire a veteran middle-level relief pitcher, a fourth outfielder, and try to land another Pauley-type lottery pick before the deadline.
Jeff Passan of ESPN It was the first when it came to terms of trade. John Heyman of the New York Post The Mets reported that he would receive his full salary. Images courtesy of Kamil Krzaczynski and Jay Biggerstaff of Imagn Images.