On a day in which two center fielders were inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, the Mets started a new chapter of their own with arguably the game's most important position. David Stearns acquired the fifth center fielder of his brief tenure with the New York Mets on Tuesday night, trading a prospect package for Luis Robert Jr.
Robert Jr. is a plus defensive player who, at one time, showed the offensive upside to hit 30-plus home runs. Health has robbed him of much of that upside, and in the years since, Robert Jr. has flirted with the Mendoza line a bit too much. That's why the White Sox struggled to trade him for all these years.
Luis Robert Jr. trade grades: What did the Mets give up?
On the surface, this is a fine trade from the Mets perspective. Robert Jr. has a club option, meaning Stearns could either part ways should he continue to trend in the wrong direction or keep him on a $20 million AAV through 2027. The Mets will pay most of Robert Jr.'s salary for the 2026 season as well.
Center fielders do not come cheap, even those who struggle at the plate like Robert. There is some hope that with a fresh start and approach, the Mets can revive his dormant plus power. As Tim Britton of The Athletic detailed in his profile of Robert Jr., the 27-year-old outfielder has developed some bad habits over the years with a disastrous White Sox team.
"Robert’s offensive reputation rests largely on a 2023 season in which he hit 38 home runs in 145 games for Chicago. That’s the only year in six big-league seasons that he has qualified for the batting title. His bat has taken a big step back over the past two years, during which he has combined to hit .223 with a .288 on-base percentage and .372 slugging percentage with 28 home runs over 210 games," Sammon wrote.
Mets trade grade: B-
The Mets had been in on Cody Bellinger, but one would assume this trade takes them out of the running due to financial constraints alone. What New York really needed was a defensively-inclined center fielder – which Robert Jr. is – who can offer speed on the basepaths. However, Mets fans should not expect the 2023 AL All-Star version of Robert Jr. That player is long gone, as evidenced by his recent downturn.
Season | Games Played | OPS+ |
|---|---|---|
2021 | 68 | 154 |
2022 | 98 | 110 |
2023 | 145 | 130 |
2024 | 100 | 86 |
2025 | 110 | 85 |
When Robert Jr. can reach base, he's electric. But that's been a problem for him far too often, as his on-base percentage reached career lows below .300 each of the past two seasons. That'll be the true trick to unlocking his talent.
White Sox trade grade: C+
I'm giving the White Sox a poor mark not for what they acquired in return for Robert Jr. this time around, but for what they surely turned down over the last few seasons with the hope their star outfielder would turn his career around. Chris Getz waited too long to trade Robert Jr., a rapidly-declining player who has always struggled to stay healthy. Dealing him after 2023, when he made the AL All-Star team, would've netted the most value. The White Sox were bad then, just as they are now (but with a bit more hope on the horizon).
The return is primarily Acuña, who despite being the brother of Ronald is not the same type of player. Luisangel doesn't offer the same power or eccentric playing style to his Braves star brother, and hasn't performed well at the MLB level. So far, he has just a 1.1 bWAR in 109 career games. That's basically one season of Robert Jr.
Acuña projects as a utility bat to start the season with the White Sox. The former top-100 prospect is 24 years old, so he's a good bet to get reps in Chicago right away. That puts Brooks Baldwin in a tough spot.
The Cody Bellinger of it all: Are the Mets out?
And this is where we start to question Stearns. While I can agree that Robert Jr. is a better defensive outfielder than Bellinger in center, he doesn't offer the same sort of offensive upside. Bellinger's proven he can play in New York, and is open to a long-term deal. Does that come with some risk? Absolutely, but the Mets aren't contending with the likes of the Dodgers (or even perhaps the Phillies) with Robert Jr. as their 'big swing'.
New York's been in scramble mode ever since the Dodgers signed Kyle Tucker. They added Bo Bichette on a short-term, high-AAV deal, and now traded for a player they've long been linked to but have been too chicken to pull the trigger on due to many of the concerns I outlined above. The Mets can still sign Bellinger as a corner outfielder, but even Cohen's wallet gets empty. The $20 million he must pay a subpar Robert Jr. this season does matter.
Losing out on Bellinger in free agency is one thing. Handing him to the Yankees without driving the price up is another. Robert Jr., with all of his flaws at the plate especially, would've been there had the Mets whiffed on Bellinger anyway. What was the rush?