There was a feeling that the Chicago White Sox wanted to trade Luis Robert Jr. before Opening Day.
It sounds like Robert Jr. had the same expectations.
He admitted that he did not expect to still be a part of the White Sox.
Center fielder Luis Robert Jr. on if he expected to still be on the White Sox roster: “Honestly, no.”
— Kyle W (@K_Williamsmedia) March 26, 2025
Although general manager Chris Getz has a very high asking price for what he wanted back in a trade for LRJ.
That high demand made it nearly impossible to move the former All-Star centerfielder.
The Cincinnati Reds were reportedly interested in making a deal with the Sox before spring training to upgrade their outfield. However, the Reds were only willing to give up just one of their top five prospects instead of the two Getz wanted.
The conflict with Getz and the 29 other MLB teams when it comes to "Louie" Robert's trade value is Getz still views him as the emerging superstar from the 2023 season. The rest of the league sees him as an oft-injured player who struggled in 2024.
While his team-friendly contract also makes him attractive to contenders, he is rarely available for an entire season. Contenders, especially small market ones, may like his affordable $15 million price with two club options of $20 million, but they would also like him to earn that on the field and not in the trainer's room.
That All-Star 2023 season was the first time he even reached 100 games during his five-year big-league career. When he did suit up for 145 games that season, his slash line was .264/.315/.542 with 38 home runs and 4.9 fWAR.
Otherwise, he has spent more time on the injured list than he has crushing home runs and catching everything hit to centerfield.
Last season, a strained adductor muscle in his hip limited him to 100 games, and he was terrible when he did play with a .224/.278/.379 slash line with just 14 home runs and 0.5 fWAR.
It is kind of hard to convince a small-market team like the Reds to give up that much prospect capital even if the Sox were willing to eat some his contract.
Robert Jr. still has value when he is healthy, as he can impact the game at the plate, on the basepaths, and in the field. He just needs to stay healthy and cut down on the strikeouts.
It feels like the main reason the front office wanted Robert Jr. gone before Opening Day was mistrusting that he could make it through April healthy when the team plays most of the games in the cold Midwest. Robert Jr. has admitted is body does not deal with the chilly weather.
If he does suffer another significant injury, then the White Sox likely will have to pay him his $2 million buyout to go away after the season. It is what the team did with Tim Anderson after the 2023 season and what the team did with Yoan Moncada after the 2024 season.
It would be nice to get at least something better than a reliever prospect like what the club got for the oft-injured Eloy Jimenez at last year's trade deadline.
It is even more important since LRJ is the last remaining player on the roster with enough talent to get a trade package back that could bring back significant young talent. The key is that he must be healthy and return to 2023 form for that to happen.