Luis Robert Jr. is trying to tune out the trade rumors. He even claimed the Chicago White Sox are his team when spring training started.
Why anyone would claim this franchise after losing a record 121 games in 2024 is beyond comprehension sometimes. Sometimes pride gets in the way of logic.
Although it cannot hurt to have a winning mindset even if wins are going to be hard to come by.
Make no mistake about it, this is likely Luis Robert Jr's last season playing for the White Sox.
There is still technically time for 2024 to be the last season he played for the Southsiders since the front office could still deal him before Opening Day like with what happened to Dylan Cease last year.
That might be general manager Chris Getz's preference since the knock on Robert Jr. is he cannot stay healthy. If he suffers another significant injury like he has had in every season he has played in except 2023, then the team is looking at paying him to go away since he is eligible for a $2 million buyout after the season.
When he is healthy, he is still a former All-Star centerfielder making $15 million this season with two relatively affordable $20 million club options.
Robert Jr. had an impressive performance against the Seattle Mariners in Saturday's 18-9 beatdown. He crushed a home run to show if he is healthy, he can still be a threat at the plate like he was in 2023.
Bats were boomin' pic.twitter.com/Ft93bddQ4L
— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) March 1, 2025
One team that could be a potential landing spot for Luis Robert Jr. is the Houston Astros.
That is where Bleacher Report's Kerry Miller thinks Robert Jr. will end up before the trade deadline.
This is not the first time Houston has been tied to the former All-Star. The Astros reportedly tried to make a run at acquiring Robert Jr. before the 2023 trade deadline. The price has gone down considerably since then.
However, Getz reportedly still has a high demand as he is asking for at least two of any team's top 30 prospects.
That steep asking price was enough for the Cincinnati Reds, an ideal trade partner for LRJ, to say no thank you.
The Astros might not be the best trade partner.
Baseball America ranks their system as the second worst, and so does FanGraphs. ESPN's Kiley McDaniel ranks the Astros prospect pool dead last. Bleacher Report ranked Houston's system 19th at the end of 2024.
They have just one prospect ranked among MLB Pipeline's Top 100 prospects. Since the Astros just acquired Cam Smith from the Chicago Cubs in the Kyle Tucker deal, it is unlikely he is going to be dealt again.
However, Jacob Melton is a power hitting left-handed bat that the White Sox's next good team could use.
He is the Astros' second-ranked prospect according to MLB Pipeline's end of 2024 top 30 rankings. Walker Janek is Houston's No. 3 prospect and Getz loves catching prospects.
He might be untouchable as he was Houston's first-round pick in 2024. Also, he hit only .175 in 25 games at A-ball.
Brice Matthews is ranked fourth. The shortstop and third baseman saw his numbers decline as he kept getting promoted up the system in 2024.
Luis Baez is No. 5 and crushed 21 home runs in the minors. However, the scouting report on him states if he keeps gaining weight, he is destined to move from the outfield to first base.
While the system is not highly regarded, they might be a fit if Houston was willing to give up Melton and Baez. That might not be enough value in a deal for Robert Jr, and it might require Houston to find a third team to make a deal work.