The Chicago White Sox want to trade Luis Robert Jr. for prospect capital. We've known this for well over a season, but the White Sox have held out hope that Robert Jr. would improve his numbers at the dish and increase his value as a result. That hasn't happened, and despite being under contract beyond this season, it's become more clear by the day that the White Sox will have to take a discount when he is finally dealt. If you don't believe me, just ask rival executives, who told Jim Bowden just that in confidence.
Robert Jr. was placed back on the injured list just a few days ago with a quad issue. That is not his fault by any means – he is only human – and as a supposed five-tool talent puts his body on the line in the outfield, at the plate and on the basepaths.
Luis Robert Jr. trade rumors are an indictment of the White Sox
However, as Bowden noted, the White Sox hesitancy to trade him by now has some rival executives questioning his value.
"Several execs don’t think Robert will be traded at this year’s deadline, instead believing that the White Sox will wait until the offseason, hoping he plays better in August and September and regains his trade value. However, a few believe he’ll get traded anyway because of the low supply of power bats and outfielders at the deadline, along with teams understanding what a change of scenery could mean for him," Bowden wrote.
If that's not an indictment of the White Sox, I'm not sure what is. Rival executives believe Robert Jr. will perform well elsewhere, but there's little evidence of that in part because he...hasn't shown he can produce at a consistent clip for the better part of two years on the south side of Chicago. Robert Jr.'s last productive season came in 2023, when he made the AL All-Star team. Since then, he has struggled to hit above the Mendoza line. That won't cut it on a contender.
Why the White Sox could struggle to trade Luis Robert Jr.
"He hasn’t had any lineup protection over the last couple of years and some teams question his desire and mental toughness," Bowden continued. It's that narrative – that Robert Jr. lacks the mental toughness necessary to produce everyday for a contending team – that will force his price tag to go down. And the longer the White Sox wait to trade him, the less they can use his contract as a selling point.
If Chris Getz deals Robert Jr. this winter, he only has two years left on a club option. Those options are worth $20 million per season, which isn't much to pay for a top-tier outfielder. However, is Robert Jr. still considered a top-tier outfielder? We don't know, in part because the White Sox haven't been able to get the most out of him in years.
Eventually, Robert Jr. will be traded, and this nightmare will end. For now, though, his price tag is decreasing by the day, and the White Sox only have themselves to blame for that.