As per reports, the Chicago White Sox are beginning to receive concrete trade inquiries for their center fielder, Luis Robert Jr., with the Mets emerging as one of the teams actively expressing interest. The White Sox, aiming to bolster their rebuilding efforts, have identified 23-year-old Mets pitching prospect Blake Tidwell as a key piece they would like to acquire in return. However, according to a top MLB insider, the truth is more nuanced.

MLB Insider Jon Heyman has come up with a surprising revelation involving this supposed blockbuster deal. In a recent post shared on X, Heyman addressed the ongoing rumors, stating that “there’s nothing hot at the moment with the Mets and Luis Robert. They’ve checked on him in the past. CF isn’t a necessity but a potential area of interest down the road.”

Providing further context regarding the situation, Heyman believes that nothing is finalized between the Mets and White Sox yet. The trade deadline is in late July, and deals typically don’t begin until that time. As far as the Mets’ interest in Robert is concerned, Heyman might be right. The center fielder hasn’t exactly had a great season, which could somehow portray him as the kind of player that the Mets are looking for.  

Robert has posted only five home runs and 16 RBIs with a poor .186 average, .293 OBP, and .619 OPS. Not to mention that he hasn’t shown any positives recently, ever since his All-Star appearance back in 2023.

The White Sox may, therefore, not be interested in selling low on a player like him, even though he has previously shown signs of becoming a superstar. Although Robert brings speed and offers a strong defense, he has posted only 38 home runs and 20 stolen bases at an .857 OPS in his 145 games with the White Sox. Now, with him set to earn $15 million in 2025 and having a $20 million option to stay with the team for the next two years, it might be too expensive for Chicago, especially for a struggling player like Robert.

Can Luis Robert Jr. be a good bet for the Mets?

While the trade rumors have somewhat dwindled after Heyman refuted the news, hinting that the Mets are unlikely to get the $50 million star, a big question remains. If the Mets bring him into their team, does he have enough firepower to make things fall into place?

Robert has played 137 games since the 2024 season, but his offensive output has been lacking in the last two years. He has only slashed .215/.282/.366 with a dismal 82 wRC+. He has a good 8.3% clip, stole 38 bases, and played good centre field defense, but that is insufficient.

However, it is important to remember the impressive production that Robert provided from 2021 to 2023, where he slashed .287/.331/.511 with a 129 wRC+ along with 10.6 fWAR in 311 games. But, as we always say, every player goes through tough phases. That’s exactly what happened to Robert, and many people are still wondering if he can stay healthy. The Mets might consider Robert a good choice to upgrade their center field, but only if he regains his rhythm in a different setting

Do you think the Mets will ultimately get the White Sox’s $50 million star?