There was a time not long ago when Luis Robert Jr. was meant to be a part of the next Chicago White Sox dynasty. A lineup consisting of José Abreu, Eloy Jiménez, Tim Anderson, Yoán Moncada, and Robert, coupled with a pitching staff of Lance Lynn, Lucas Giolito, Carlos Rodón, Dylan Cease, and Liam Hendriks, made for a team with a high ceiling, but unfortunately, that’s not how things unfolded.

Since the start of 2022, the White Sox have been running a .374 winning percentage, leaving the team in a seller’s mindset more often than not. Because of that, Robert has been at the forefront of those conversations, whether Chicago has been willing to trade him away or not.

With Robert potentially entering free agency after this season, this may be the last chance for the White Sox to get something for him before he hits the open market.

Robert boasted several above-average tools when he entered the big leagues, making him one of the most exciting prospects in the game at that time. While some of those tools have been on the downward trajectory over the past couple of seasons, teams are hoping a change of scenery might bring them back.

Robert still ranks in the 94th percentile in bat speed and in the 89th percentile in sprint speed. The native of Ciego de Avila, Cuba, has played nothing but centre field since making his debut in 2020, recording just 13 errors through his 534 games playing in the field. This year, he’s tied for first in the American League with a 99.6% fielding percentage.

At the plate this season, Robert is slashing .206/.293/.343 with a .636 OPS, 10 home runs, 41 RBIs, nine doubles, and 26 stolen bases. It’s the second straight year that he’s had a decline in batting average, with this year’s average (and slugging percentage) serving as a career-low. He’s having far more success against lefties this season, posting a .294 batting average and a .966 OPS against them.

Taking a bit of a deeper look into his splits, it’s clear that as Robert goes, so do the White Sox. In the 29 wins that Chicago has with him in the starting lineup, Robert is hitting .300 with a .923 OPS, six homers, and 28 RBIs.

While his season numbers aren’t great, his trade interest has been ramped back up based on his play in recent weeks.

Since June 24th, Robert is slashing .341/.426/.585 with a 1.011 OPS, three homers, 10 RBIs, and a double. The White Sox have moved him down to the 6th and 7th spots in the batting order, and while that’s been abnormal for Robert in his career, if it gets his bat going and his trade value back up, the team will continue to do so.

Robert is just two years removed from his 38-homer, 80-RBI effort in 2023, a campaign that was accompanied by a Silver Slugger award, an All-Star nod, and a 129 wRC+. With him turning just 28 in about a week and some years of his prime left to go coupled with his recent play, that might be attractive to potential suitors.

Robert Jr. is in the final guaranteed year of his six-year, $50 million deal with the White Sox. His contract includes club options for 2026 and 2027; if those are exercised, the total value would reach $88 million.

The club options are part of what makes a trade for Robert Jr. so interesting and, perhaps, confusing. In addition to not knowing the level of player a buyer is acquiring, the White Sox also don’t know how long the buyer will have Robert. Are they paying for a rental or are they paying for a maximum of two and a half years?

If they are set on trading him, the White Sox are hoping Robert has another day or two of productive at-bats to drive the asking price up as much as they can.

It’s been nearly a month since Ross Atkins told the media that the Blue Jays would be targeting pitching depth and a right-handed bat at the trade deadline. It doesn’t seem as if those needs have changed, although the at-bats from Davis Schneider since he was recalled from triple-A have been far more encouraging than those from the beginning of the season.

The numbers that Robert has posted against left-handed pitchers are hard to ignore, though. Think of all of the lefties that Toronto might face in the postseason: Max Fried, Rodón, Framber Valdez, Tarik Skubal, Josh Hader, and Aroldis Chapman, just to name a few. Given that Robert plays primarily in centre field, the Blue Jays wanting to acquire Robert might come down to how much the Blue Jays like having Myles Straw patrol centre field at-bats versus lefties.

As mentioned earlier, this could also be the change of scenery that Robert needs to be who he was before 2024. With Anthony Santander still sidelined and an unclear timeframe on his return, there’s a spot for a power bat somewhere in Toronto’s lineup. Furthermore, if Robert is acclimating to hitting at the bottom of the order in Chicago, that’s likely where he’d be hitting with the Blue Jays should they acquire him.

As of now, the team with the most traction on a Robert trade is the New York Mets, and it’s been reported by USA Today’s Bob Nightengale that the White Sox would want third baseman Mark Vientos in return should they work out a deal.

Robert missed the first two games of this past weekend’s series against the Cubs with right adductor tightness. He felt well enough to play in Sunday’s series finale, but he was hit by a 101 mph fastball on his right arm in the 9th inning. Per White Sox beat writer Scott Merkin, X-rays came back negative.

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