According to a report from MLB insider Jon Heyman, up to eight different teams have expressed interest in trading for Chicago White Sox outfielder Luis Robert Jr. before the deadline.
The Philadelphia Phillies, Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres, New York Mets, and Kansas City Royals were among the teams Heyman said “look like potential fits.”
To be quite honest, that’s a surprisingly large market for Robert Jr., who has not played up to his All-Star potential in 2025. Robert Jr. has nine (9) home runs and 22 stolen bases at the break, but he’s batting just .190 with an OPS of .599.
The White Sox don’t have to trade Robert Jr.
As the season has progressed, I have become more and more convinced that Robert Jr. would stay with the White Sox and not be moved at the trade deadline. The worse he plays, the less demand there is for his services.
If the White Sox can’t get a prospect of value in a deal, GM Chris Getz may choose to gamble. Chicago could always keep Robert Jr. on the team with hopes that he rebounds in August and September. That’s a longer leash while the White Sox wait for him to heat back up offensively.
The White Sox will have to address Robert Jr.’s $20 million team option in the offseason. But maybe he shows them enough down the stretch to justify picking it up. Then Getz could shop him in the offseason for a bigger return than he’d net at the deadline.
A Luis Robert Jr. trade now feels like a guarantee
After reading Heyman’s report about the surprising number of teams interested, it now feels like a guarantee that Luis Robert Jr. will be moved.
I have to figure that, with eight teams making phone calls to the White Sox, Chicago will be able to get one or two prospects of value.
It won’t be Top 10 prospects from an organization like Chris Getz was once asking for. But if the Sox can land one or two players with MLB upside in a deal, it’s worth taking.
There have been some really fun moments watching Luis Robert Jr. in a White Sox uniform over the last six seasons. There was so much hype for his arrival, and when he’s playing at his best, he’s one of the most dominant players in all of baseball.
But as fun as it has been, it’s time for the White Sox to move on and get what they can. Robert Jr. has slowly become a bigger headache than an asset.