White Sox Reportedly Willing to Trade Luis Robert Jr, Should Dodgers Go All-In?
The Chicago White Sox are reportedly open to trading superstar outfielder Luis Robert Jr., according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan.
Passan answered one of the biggest questions leading up to this year’s July 30 trade deadline in the simplest terms: “Yes, the White Sox are willing to deal center fielder Luis Robert Jr., who is expected to return from a hip injury this week and is signed through 2027.”
Robert was one of few (if not the only) players on the White Sox who might not have been available this deadline. Robert is just 26 years old, under multiple years of team control, and is coming off a 2023 season in which he slashed .264/.315/.542 with 38 home runs, 80 runs batted in, and an OPS of .857. He made the American League All-Star team, won a Silver Slugger award, and finished 12th in American League MVP voting.
Robert has only appeared in seven games this season due to a hip injury, but he was activated from the injured list Tuesday. If he can stay healthy, Robert will immediately become one of the most sought-after players at the trade deadline.
The Dodgers, who have a huge outfield problem, would have to make that call and do just about whatever it takes to get Robert in Los Angeles.
The Dodgers enter Tuesday’s series opener against the Pittsburgh Pirates with one of baseball’s worst outfields. The Dodgers’ outfielders — which have included (at times) Kiké Hernández, Teoscar Hernández, Jason Heyward, James Outman, Andy Pages, Chris Taylor, Taylor Trammell, and Miguel Vargas — have hit a combined .215 this season, 26th in MLB. They have a combined wRC+ of 87, which ranks 23rd in baseball, and a combined WAR of 1.2, which is tied for 22nd.
When you take into account that Teoscar Hernández by himself is hitting .255 with a wRC+ of 127 and a 1.3 WAR, it shows how disastrous the rest of the outfield has been.
The Dodgers have called up both Pages and Vargas since the season began to try to help, and they’ve patiently waited for Taylor to figure things out. But at some point, might decide enough is enough — and that decision might be hastened if one of baseball’s best young outfielders is made available.
The Dodgers would have to give up a haul to get Robert due to his age, years of team control, and ability, but it would be worth it to shore up an outfield that doesn’t have any true solutions for 2024 or beyond.
Teoscar Hernández is on an expiring deal, as are Heyward and Kiké Hernández. Outman, Pages, and Vargas haven’t yet shown enough to be considered locks to open the 2025 season in the outfield, and Taylor continues to look like an albatross of a contract. The Dodgers owe him $13 million next season, and a $2 million assignment bonus if he’s traded before his contract expires after 2025.
In the farm system, the Dodgers’ top outfield prospects are Josue De Paula, Kendall George, and Zyhir Hope. All are years away from being ready for MLB action.
The Dodgers need to shore up the outfield not only for the present, but for the future. Robert, a 26-year-old slugger out of Cuba, would be the perfect solution.
The Dodgers and White Sox came together for a deadline deal in 2023 that has turned out to be really good for Chicago. (The Dodgers failed to win a playoff game with Joe Kelly and Lance Lynn, while former Dodgers prospects Nick Nastrini and Jordan Leasure are both in their rookie seasons with Chicago).
This summer, maybe they’ll be able to do it again.
