White Sox asking price in Luis Robert Jr. trade talks would make Juan Soto blush

Luis Robert Jr. of the White Sox has emerged as one of the hottest names on the trade market this season, for good reason. The likelihood of Robert Jr. being traded is high because the White Sox are destined to enter a full-on fire sale here soon.

Robert Jr. is a former All-Star, coming off a 38 homer, 36 double season in which he won the Silver Slugger. He also comes as a 26-year-old with three additional years of team control. He's not even entered his prime just yet, meaning he could be a threat to hit 40, 45 or even 50 homers if he can stay healthy.

So, the White Sox asking price is pretty steep for him. Maybe a bit too steep.

White Sox reportedly asking for a '2022 Juan Soto' sized return for Luis Robert Jr.

Per Bob Nightengale, the White Sox are seeking a package greater than the one the Padres gave up acquiring Juan Soto in 2022.

To put things into perspective, the Nationals received MacKenzie Gore, C.J. Abrams, Robert Hassell, James Wood and Jarlin Susana in the 2022 Juan Soto trade.

Per MLB Pipeline, this would be four of the Padres top five prospects and their 19th-ranked prospect as well. It was truly a monstrous package, one in which the Padres lost incredibly because of Soto's short stay in San Diego.

The White Sox are searching for a package even greater than this historic deal, which is almost absurd to attempt to fathom in the market now. It's incredibly unlikely that any MLB team would look to trade four of their top five prospects, especially for a player with concerning injury issues.

But with Robert Jr. under contract for as long as he is, as well as his potential to continue improving, he should net the White Sox a franchise changing return of prospects. The size of the Juan Soto deal? Probably not.

Soto was a generational talent that was just 23 years old at the time of the trade. The odds of him signing a career long deal with San Diego seemed to be almost a guarantee at the time, making the Padres willing to send as much over to the Nationals in the package.

Especially after the detrimental outcome of this deal for San Diego, I doubt that a team in contention in 2024 would be willing to empty their farm system for a player with the questionable health issues that come with Robert Jr. Only time will tell though.