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The New York Mets have wrestled back the NL East lead from the Philadelphia Phillies, going 7-4 since the All-Star break, but the Phillies are right on their tail. The Mets only have a half-game advantage over their fiercest division rival, and they are coming off two straight defeats to the San Diego Padres — the latest being a demoralizing 7-1 defeat.
At the very least, there is time for the Mets to upgrade their roster via trade prior to the start of the stretch run. Their offense has been middling, and with Juan Soto leaving their 7-1 loss to the Padres on Tuesday early after hitting a ball off his foot, the Mets may have a greater sense of urgency now to acquire an insurance policy in the outfield.
With that, according to the sources of MLB.com's Mark Feinsand, the Mets “have been one of the more aggressive teams” in the pursuit of Chicago White Sox center fielder Luis Robert Jr., with one even calling them the “frontrunner” for the 27-year-old outfielder's services.
The Mets aren't alone in their pursuit of Robert, however. Feinsand also mentioned that the Padres and Phillies “have interest” in the White Sox outfielder, although the level of interest that they have in actually swinging a trade remains to be seen.
If anything, the Mets are the team that appears to be in the most need of outfield reinforcements, especially at center field. While the platoon of Jeff McNeil and Tyrone Taylor are holding it together for New York, acquiring someone who could be a longer-term solution at the position, like Robert, could make a trade with the White Sox that much more worthwhile.
The Mets, however, will have to overcome the White Sox's reported exorbitant demands in any Robert trade.
Is Luis Robert Jr. the answer for the Mets at center field?
On paper, acquiring Robert should not be this hard for any team. He is struggling badly for a moribund White Sox team, slashing .206/.295/.348 to go along with just 11 home runs and 43 runs batted in.
Robert is set to make $20 million over the next two seasons, provided his team picks up both club options. At this rate, Robert is not playing at a level that makes him worth that money. But with the way he started his career, perhaps a change of scenery could work wonders for him, and maybe a fresh start with the Mets is all he needs to get his once-promising career back on track.
