The Chicago White Sox have dropped 14 of their last 15 and own the worst record in MLB. Having already traded Dylan Cease, the rebuilding club is reportedly open for business for any player on the roster - including Luis Robert Jr. The All-Star outfielder is under club control through the 2027 campaign at $67.5 million, so interested clubs will need to pay a high price for the 26-year-old. He hit 38 home runs, stole 20 bases, and accumulated 4.9 fWAR last season.
Here, we look at five teams that could be a possible fit for Robert.
Seattle Mariners
The Mariners are fortunate to have arguably the league's deepest starting rotation. Seattle is leading the AL West thanks in large part to its starting pitching and almost in spite of its offensive attack. The Mariners rank 24th in MLB in runs scored and 27th in OPS. They haven't received much production from the outfield, with an 88 wRC+ and .636 OPS. Robert's been an excellent defensive center fielder throughout his career and possesses the arm strength to move over to right field with Julio Rodríguez entrenched in center. The Mariners are firmly in a window of contention for the next few years, making Robert an ideal fit on a number of levels.
Atlanta Braves
Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos is no stranger to being bold and taking big swings to improve his club. Going after Robert in the wake of Ronald Acuña Jr.'s season-ending knee injury would definitely qualify as bold. The Braves haven't received much in the way of consistent offensive production from the outfield of Michael Harris II, Adam Duvall, and Jarred Kelenic this season. Robert could help alleviate some of the production Acuña would've brought to the table.
Chicago Cubs
The White Sox and Cubs don't often get together for trades, but there have been some notable recent occurrences. The Cubs acquired José Quintana from the White Sox in 2017 for four players - including Cease and Eloy Jiménez - in a deal that turned out to be very one-sided in favor of the White Sox. The White Sox also obtained Craig Kimbrel from the Cubs for Nick Madrigal and Codi Heuer at the 2021 trade deadline.
The Cubs have underwhelmed in a year in which they were expected to be strong contenders to win the NL Central. The offense is mostly around the middle of the pack in a number of key categories. The Cubs could use a jolt, and Robert would represent a major upgrade over rookie center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong.
Philadelphia Phillies
Phillies executive Dave Dombrowski's made a career out of pursuing stars to push his team into World Series contention. The model has been a roaring success as Dombrowski owns two World Series rings, five league pennants, and 11 postseason appearances during his career. The Phillies are armed with a loaded roster and have been knocking on the door of a championship in each of the last two campaigns.
One of the team's few areas of relative weakness is its offensive production from the outfield. Phillies outfielders are in the bottom third of the league in home runs, OPS, and wRC+ this season. Center fielder Johan Rojas, in particular, has taken a step back after putting up 1.5 fWAR in only 59 games last season. Adding Robert to a lineup featuring Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber, J.T. Realmuto, and Alec Bohm would be a dream for Phillies fans. Dombrowski is the type of executive bold enough to try and pull it off.
Los Angeles Dodgers
You knew it was coming. No list of potential trade fits for an All-Star-caliber player is complete without the Dodgers. That's just the way it works these days. This isn't just a token inclusion, though. Los Angeles really needs a big improvement in center field. One of the biggest knocks against the Dodgers this season is that they're far too top-heavy and don't have much behind Mookie Betts, Shohei Ohtani, and Freddie Freeman in the lineup.
Center field in particular has been an offensive black hole for manager Dave Roberts. Dodgers center fielders own the second-worst OPS (.533) and wRC+ (58) in the league. The club demoted Opening Day center fielder James Outman after a rough start and has turned to rookie Andy Pages at the position. A team with such big expectations should be turning over every stone to improve areas of weakness. Robert would check off a lot of different boxes for the Dodgers.
