Many of the rumors swirling around the Chicago White Sox for the past few months have involved the potential trade of outfielder Luis Robert Jr.
With the team shipping away Dylan Cease and Garrett Crochet the last two offseasons, Robert remains one of the few valuable pieces of the last White Sox rebuild. In an ideal world, Chicago could bring in another haul of prospects to further enhance their farm system. Robert’s hiring of Scott Boras all but guarantees that he won’t be signing a contract extension, so the White Sox finding a trade partner this season has long been the most logical scenario.
With rumors swirling about the Los Angeles Dodgers, Cincinnati Reds, and New York Mets earlier this season, it certainly felt like the Sox would find a match sooner rather than later.
Robert Jr. in 2025
The White Sox were hoping a strong start to 2025 would boost Robert’s trade value and increase their return in a potential deal. However, Robert’s start to the 2025 season has been less than ideal.
Robert entered Tuesday night’s game against Seattle hitting just .186 on the season with an OPS short of .600. His five (5) home runs, though tied for second on the team, put him on pace to be well short of the 35-40 homer power he is capable of.
The White Sox have needed other ways to showcase Robert's value, and speed never slumps. Entering Tuesday, Robert Jr. was tied for the Major League lead with 17 stolen bases.
Robert Jr. doubts his own trade value
Even though Robert is pacing for 56 stolen bases this season, his struggles at the plate are currently the talk of the town. Quite frankly, his at-bats are rarely competitive these days.
Speaking with reporters at the ballpark prior to Tuesday night’s game, Robert was brutally honest about his slow start to the season.
“Right now as my season is going, I don’t think anyone is going to take a chance on me," Robert said to reporters when asked about trade rumors. (via Chuck Garfien)
Luis Robert Jr. has a history of being abnormally candid in his interviews. In Spring Training he flat out said that he didn’t think he’d still be with the White Sox on Opening Day. This is another example of Robert being straight up with the media about his performance.
Robert’s struggles at the plate date back to 2024, where he hit just .224 with 14 homers, a major disappointment after a 38 homer outburst in 2023. Unfortunately, 2023 has proven to be the exception rather than the rule in his career, and it remains the only season where he’s hit more than 15 home runs.
The inconsistency over Robert's career can be attributed to a lengthy injury history, as 2023 is also the only season he’s played more than 100 games. The White Sox acquisition of Michael A. Taylor this offseason was, in part, an effort to keep Robert healthy by having another option in center field.
So far, Robert has stayed healthy in 2025, but his performance on the field has been underwhelming regardless.
White Sox staff members have expressed confidence that Robert will heat up as the weather warms. Previous reports that the White Sox would like to trade Robert by Memorial Day are seeming more and more unlikely.
At this point, the only thing the Sox can do is continue to give Robert opportunities and hope that he bounces back over the summer. Robert’s notion that no team will be interested in him is likely an exaggeration, as he’s still one of the elite speed and defense outfielders in baseball, and there will always be a team looking to add a runner and defender of his caliber.
But just because he'll have suitors does not mean he'll have value. The White Sox are unlikely to have an offer on the table that matches their valuation of Robert unless he starts to produce more on offense.
As the trade deadline nears, if Luis Robert remains cold, Chris Getz will have a difficult decision to make: Does he sell Robert for less than he thinks he's worth, or hold him until the offseason and potentially have to eat some of his contract?
The good news is that Luis clearly recognizes that his performance has not lived up to expectations, and there’s incentive for him to improve and get himself to a team competing for a World Series. Only time will tell if this knowledge will be his downfall or his motivation.