The Chicago White Sox are likely to trade ace pitcher Garrett Crochet, but the front office would reportedly love to trade Luis Robert Jr. this offseason too.
That is what USA Today's Bob Nightengale recently reported. He has deep connections to the Sox front office that he could count as an unofficial member of the team's public relations team, so do not brush his report under the rug.
However, this is not the time to trade Robert Jr.
Not after he had a miserable encore to his career season in 2023. He followed up his .264 batting average along with a .542 slugging percentage, 38 home runs, and a wRC+ of 128 that season with a .224 average, 14 dingers, and a wRC+ of 84 in 2024.
He went from a 4.9 fWAR player in 2023 to .5 in 2024. That is a dramatic decline that was aided by one of his major drawbacks--he is always hurt.
2023 was the most games he ever played in. He missed 62 games this season with a hip injury. All 29 other big-league teams know this and know that 2023 is the only season he has lived up to his immense potential. He may have been an All-Star, but he was not viewed as a superstar by the rest of the league despite the Sox viewing him that way.
That is why Nightengale also had a quote from an unnamed general manager that sums up his trade market and why the Sox will not get what they are demanding..
“The guy is certainly intriguing," one GM said, “but they’ve got a really high price tag on him. You’ve got to hope he finally stays healthy and can be the player everyone envisioned all along. But the White Sox are acting like he’s some big star center fielder and are asking for your top prospects."
There is a realistic chance the White Sox could decline his $20 million option for 2026 if he has a repeat of 2025. It would take $2 million to buy him out, and if he is hurt a lot again or not productive, do not think they would move on. The front office has had no trouble moving on from Tim Anderson and Yoan Moncada for those very reasons.
The Sox also facing the reality of possibly letting Robert Jr. walk for nothing after 2025 has to be a huge motivating factor to deal him now, even if his value is pennies on the dollar.
It is a risk, but the better option is to hold onto LRJ and hope he has a bounce-back season.
Then, the front office can deal him at the trade deadline. He is going to be dealt. The timeline just does not line up with when the team could be competitive and how long he will be under club control.
He will be a free agent after the 2027 season if both of his $20 million options are picked up. That is the earliest the White Sox could be competitive.
The club is not likely to extend him because ownership does not give players contracts over $100 million. Robert Jr. is not likely to sign an extension since his agent is Scott Boras.
The option with the least amount of questions is to bring him back. Even if he does not come close to the 2023 production, he just needs to stay healthy and produce better than 2024.
A somewhere-in-between is still a good baseball player, especially with his defense. A team would deal something of value for that type of player. The only risk is Luis suffers another early-season, long stay on the injured list injury. Then his trade value stays at where it currently is or even worse.
However, worse could be just getting the return the team got for Eloy Jimenez. Things shaking out in the Sox's favor, however rare that happens, by keeping him comes with the opportunity to have the biggest benefit to the club in the long run.