There is one team interested in this Chicago White Sox outfielder who needs to trade for him before next season and make him one of their stars.
The Chicago White Sox have done very well this offseason at acquiring the necessary prospects back in the Garrett Crochet trade, as well as sign valuable veterans to hopefully have success this season so the White Sox can flip them at next year’s trade deadline. The Chicago White Sox have one more trade piece that this one team who is ‘very interested’ in, should consider trading for before the start of next season.
Luis Robert Jr. value on the trade market
The Chicago White Sox star outfielder Luis Robert Jr. was one of the other players this offseason other than Garrett Crochet that was drawing interest from teams. Luis Robert Jr. has shown flashes at being a potential superstar in Major League Baseball with 2023 being his best season to date in which Robert Jr. was named an All-Star, won a Silver Slugger award, and finished 12th in the Most Valuable Player voting.
In 2024 Luis Robert Jr. took a semi step back with missing the first part of the season due to an injury, but still managed to play in 100 games, collect 88 hits, 19 doubles, and have 14 HRs. Still just 26-years-old Robert Jr. can still bounce back and be the player he was in 2023, he just has to show he can stay healthy.
The trade rumors surrounding Luis Robert Jr. all started off with a report stating that the Cincinnati Reds were interested in acquiring Robert Jr. from the Chicago White Sox, which till now has not come into being. Since then, another report surfaced that said the Toronto Blue Jays emerged to be a team that was ‘very interested’ in acquiring Luis Robert Jr.. Given the Blue Jays current situation, the Chicago White Sox should look to strike a deal while the iron is hot.
The Toronto Blue Jays situation
The Toronto Blue Jays are in a peculiar situation with so far striking out the past two offseason on the big-name free agents that they were looking to sign. The Blue Jays swung and missed on signing baseballs best player in Shohei Ohtani who signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers and also missed out on both outfielder Juan Soto and former Cy Young award winner Corbin Burnes for this offseason.
What it appears to me is that the Toronto Blue Jays and the San Francisco Giants for their parts are the two teams being used by agents to drive up the price for their players for the actual team they want them to sign with. The Blue Jays more so with seemingly not free agent no matter how big the name is, wanting to sign with Toronto. It could have something to do with the Toronto Blue Jays not having a clear plan on what they want to do for the future and the dysfunction they have been dealing with.
The Blue Jays just settled with their superstar first basemen Vladimir Guerreo Jr. on a $28.5 million contract for this season after setting a spring training deadline for having a contract extension done which doesn’t appear likely. There’s also the possibility the Blue Jays shortstop Bo Bichette could be on the move losing a key piece for the Toronto Blue Jays.
The Blue Jays did extend a contract offer to free agent outfielder/designated hitter Anthony Santander, but so far crickets. Given their situation, the Chicago White Sox should really look to pounce and trade Luis Robert Jr. to them and get a bigger haul in return than they normally would get, given Luis Robert Jr. was injured and had a somewhat down year last season.
Why could the Toronto Blue Jays use Luis Robert Jr.?
Given their situation the only way the Toronto Blue Jays will get a star player to come over to them is going to have to be through a trade. The Blue Jays did that earlier this season with acquiring the best second basemen in Major League Baseball Andres Gimenez from the Cleveland Guardians in a blockbuster three-team trade.
With the Toronto Blue Jays almost desperate to bring in a high-value player to pair with their superstar Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to provide protection in their lineup, as well as show that their willingness to spend and obtain talent in order to hopefully resign Guerrero Jr. to an extension. Adding Luis Robert Jr. would send that message being how talented he is.
Robert Jr. is set to make $55 million for the next three seasons with making $15 million for this season, as well as containing two team options for 2026 and 2027 worth $20 million each. With Robert Jr. still being able to bounce back to his 2023 form and being inter a team friendly deal the Toronto Blue Jays could figure to have to part with one MLB top 100 prospect and a low-level flier candidate on the lower end of their prospect list. I believe such as this would get the deal done and satisfy both teams:
The Toronto Blue Jays receive: outfielder Luis Robert Jr.
The Chicago White Sox receive: left-handed pitcher Ricky Tiedmann (No. 4 prospect) and shortstop Josh Kasevich (No. 9 prospect)
Ricky Tiedmann is a young talented lefty with a plus fastball and a plus slider with also carrying a plus changeup in his back pocket to get hitters out. The 22-year-old lefty is ready to make his debut, but having to undergo Tommy John surgery last July, Tiedmann will miss most of if not all of this season. With that being the case, it would make all the more sense for the Blue Jays to trade Ricky Tiedmann to the Chicago White Sox being he won’t give them any production for this season.
Also adding Josh Jasevich into the deal would greatly benefit the White Sox who have a need for starting shortstop. At the current moment number four overall prospect in the organization Colson Montgomery has the inside track to win the job out of spring training, but bringing in Josh Kasevich to provide competition would benefit them both. Rated as a very high contact hitter who can put the ball in play and limit his strikeouts, as well as being a solid glove defensively at shortstop, adding Kasevich could figure to break the Chicago White Sox way.
For the Chicago White Sox to get a deal like this deal would be critical for their rebuild. They not only would free themselves of Robert Jr. salary giving them room to potentially add a big-name free agent in the next few seasons to pair with their young prospects as they begin to get called up.
Chicago Cubs ascend in the MLBs Power Rankings as one of the top teams for next season
Read MoreFor More Great Chicago Sports Content
Follow us on Twitter at @chicitysports23 for more great content. We appreciate you taking time to read our articles. To interact more with our community and keep up to date on the latest in Chicago sports news, JOIN OUR FREE FACEBOOK GROUP by CLICKING HERE
