Luisangel Acuña is a project the White Sox can afford to take on

There was a time not too long ago that Luis Robert Jr., even at a $20 million salary, would have commanded a huge haul in a trade. Unfortunately, after a couple of down seasons plagued by injuries, the center fielder was no longer worth the price of an All-Star.

The Chicago White Sox finally agreed to send their longtime outfielder to the New York Mets in exchange for minor-league pitcher Truman Pauley and infielder Luisangel Acuña. The good news is the Mets took on all of Robert's salary; the bad news is that the trade will likely be Acuña or bust for the Pale Hose.

That's not meant to be a shot at Pauley, who could develop into a nice piece down the line. But as a 2025 12th-round pick with 4 1/3 professional innings under his belt, he's a low-risk dart throw in every sense.

Acuña, however, shouldn't be overlooked. He struggled badly in his first extended taste of MLB action last season, but as a former Top-100 prospect with game-breaking speed and solid on-base skills, there's a path for the 23-year-old to become a key piece of the White Sox's future.

Acuña has the talent to make White Sox Robert Jr. trade worthwhile

There have been a lot of discussions about Acuña's Winter League performance this year and what impact that may have had on the trade. It's nice to see him exploding at the plate against some type of competition, but it's hard to overlook what he's done in the major leagues thus far.

In 2025, Acuña stepped up to the plate 193 times for the Mets, accruing a .234/.293/.274 slash line and 65 wRC+. He did steal 16 bases and strike out less than 20% of the time, but his pitiful .040 ISO effectively neutered whatever impact he could offer with his bat.

Admittedly, that's a pretty negative overview to be working with. Even some of his advanced metrics — including his hard-hit, chase, and barrel rates — were all well below average. So, where exactly is this upside that once made him a top prospect?

Well, it begins with his speed, as Acuña ranked in the 97th percentile in sprint spreed last year. He's a dyanmic threat on the basepaths, having stolen at least 40 bases in the minors in every season from 2021-24. Combined with his solid glove, he has all the tools necessary to be an above-average defender up the middle, be it at second base, shortstop, or center field.

He's also got an advanced plate approach thanks to some quality bat-to-ball skills. His whiff and strikeout rates were both above average with the Mets, and he frequently worked double-digit walk rates during his time down on the farm. If he can command free passes frequently and utilize his speed on the basepaths... watch out. The White Sox are hopeful that Acuna's burst of power in the Winter League isn't a fluke, but the start of a turnaround.

There's a reason why the national consensus on this trade is more positive than White Sox fans have been. Acuña is a special talent who has simply struggled to make the jump to the big leagues. With six more years of team control and his entire physical prime ahead of him, there's no question as to what the Sox are hoping for from this deal: a table-setter for Kyle Teel, Colson Montgomery, and Munetaka Murakami.