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The Chicago White Sox are markedly better in 2025 than they were throughout the entirety of their rot-infested 2024 campaign, but that is such a low bar to clear. With the trade deadline coming up, the White Sox are going to be unquestioned sellers, especially when they have a poor 39-68 record. And sharks appear to be circling around them already, waiting if they're going to budge and trade away Luis Robert Jr., who is once again in the middle of another poor campaign.
Robert is not going to be a game-changing acquisition for any team looking to trade for him, but he has some baserunning and defensive utility, not to mention some power potential considering that he had a 38-home run season not too long ago (2023). However, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, the White Sox “believe they would look ridiculous accepting a mid-tier prospect”, and that they wouldn't settle for anything less than one top-10 prospect from any team's farm system.
Moreover, the White Sox are reportedly telling other teams that they will simply accept his $20 million option for next season if they don't get what they want in a trade. Other teams, however, are calling their bluff, setting in motion a standoff that may not be resolved prior to the trade deadline.
Luis Robert Jr.'s White Sox career has stalled
Robert burst onto the scene for the White Sox in 2020 and immediately looked like he was going to be one of the most impactful center fielders in MLB for a long time. And for the first four seasons of his career, he delivered on his potential — tallying 11.7 WAR, hitting 74 home runs, driving in 210 runs, and slashing .279/.327/.500 while playing excellent defense.
But over the past two seasons, Robert has looked lost, slashing just .216/.284/.366 and fading away from relevance as the White Sox have plummeted to the bottom of the MLB totem pole.
At this point, acquiring a top-10 prospect even from the ballclub with the worst farm system in MLB may be a pipe dream considering how badly Robert is struggling. He still has two years left on his contract worth $20 million per season after 2025, although the White Sox can decline either option and send him to free agency earlier.
The White Sox are in no rush to trade Robert away, considering that they're a bad team anyway and they wouldn't get much value if they let go of him now. They have the time to try and rehabilitate his value, so a scenario in which they accept his option for next year isn't too difficult to envision.
