I don’t necessarily have an issue with trading for Roberts, but he’s more of a defense/speed guy with an okay bat that you’d want in CF. I don’t know if they’d move him to LF or move Cruz to LF.
I think their OF defense has been enough of an issue in the past few years that I wouldn’t mind adding him, but he’d have to be cheap and I’d view him more as a stopgap for Garcia than an actual major addition.
I’m fine with the trade if you put him in left. The benefit to PNC park is that we basically have 2 CFs. Keep Cruz in center, put Robert in left, and you have another left handed bat that was MVP level about 3 years ago and is the same age as Cruz.
By the way, even though we’re talking like Robert’s 2025 was bad (which, it was) his 1.4 WAR last year would still tie him with reynolds as third best on the team, behind IKF and Horwitz (1.6 a piece) and Triolo (2.3)
Also worth noting that this front office has lost my trust, to the extent that they ever had it. I say that this would be a good move, so I’m almost positive they won’t want to do it. Maybe Robert needs a change of scenery, but that might also mean going to a winning club.
Getting Robert probably moves Cruz to DH which I am fine with.
I struggle a bit with this. He’s def better than what we have and if healthy (big if) has a lot of upside…
But 20m, on an expiring deal and will cost prospects. I could easily see him coming in and getting hurt and missing the entire season and then they spent almost their entire off-season budget on nothing. Its a little too risky to me
Two years removed from a 38 HR and 5.4 WAR season. If you think playing for the White Sox is worse to play for than the Pirates, make the trade but he strikes me as a guy you need to keep focused and he will be a great player.
If this move is done as part of an overall series of moves, I don’t hate it. Gives the team three actual major leaguers in the outfield, even if all three have struggled a bit with the bat at times.
The issue is the “if”. They still need bodies at second and third (as well as a body at short until KG is promoted). If they can trade for one of those two positions and somehow convince a decent FA to come to Pittsburgh, then a trade for Robert makes sense.
I’d be more happy with Bledsy and Adonis Garcia as the OF then sign Suraez and one of the Japanese IF to round out the offseason
Just like two years ago, I say pass on him.
Not because he isn’t a good player, he absolutely is, but the cost to acquire and the fact that he has been in the bigs for six seasons and has only been able to play a full season’s worth of games only once is enough to not hamstring your finances enough to pay him $20M, as a rental, for what will likely be a 1/2 season of games.
Edit: If you are going to trade for an OFer to improve the defense, then Kwan is your man, not Robert Jr.
Kwan has been the best defensive player in baseball, at any position, has multiple years of control, and actually stays on the field and in the lineup, and is in his first arb season.
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I don’t necessarily have an issue with trading for Roberts, but he’s more of a defense/speed guy with an okay bat that you’d want in CF. I don’t know if they’d move him to LF or move Cruz to LF.
I think their OF defense has been enough of an issue in the past few years that I wouldn’t mind adding him, but he’d have to be cheap and I’d view him more as a stopgap for Garcia than an actual major addition.
I’m fine with the trade if you put him in left. The benefit to PNC park is that we basically have 2 CFs. Keep Cruz in center, put Robert in left, and you have another left handed bat that was MVP level about 3 years ago and is the same age as Cruz.
By the way, even though we’re talking like Robert’s 2025 was bad (which, it was) his 1.4 WAR last year would still tie him with reynolds as third best on the team, behind IKF and Horwitz (1.6 a piece) and Triolo (2.3)
Also worth noting that this front office has lost my trust, to the extent that they ever had it. I say that this would be a good move, so I’m almost positive they won’t want to do it. Maybe Robert needs a change of scenery, but that might also mean going to a winning club.
Getting Robert probably moves Cruz to DH which I am fine with.
I struggle a bit with this. He’s def better than what we have and if healthy (big if) has a lot of upside…
But 20m, on an expiring deal and will cost prospects. I could easily see him coming in and getting hurt and missing the entire season and then they spent almost their entire off-season budget on nothing. Its a little too risky to me
Two years removed from a 38 HR and 5.4 WAR season. If you think playing for the White Sox is worse to play for than the Pirates, make the trade but he strikes me as a guy you need to keep focused and he will be a great player.
If this move is done as part of an overall series of moves, I don’t hate it. Gives the team three actual major leaguers in the outfield, even if all three have struggled a bit with the bat at times.
The issue is the “if”. They still need bodies at second and third (as well as a body at short until KG is promoted). If they can trade for one of those two positions and somehow convince a decent FA to come to Pittsburgh, then a trade for Robert makes sense.
I’d be more happy with Bledsy and Adonis Garcia as the OF then sign Suraez and one of the Japanese IF to round out the offseason
Just like two years ago, I say pass on him.
Not because he isn’t a good player, he absolutely is, but the cost to acquire and the fact that he has been in the bigs for six seasons and has only been able to play a full season’s worth of games only once is enough to not hamstring your finances enough to pay him $20M, as a rental, for what will likely be a 1/2 season of games.
Edit: If you are going to trade for an OFer to improve the defense, then Kwan is your man, not Robert Jr.
Kwan has been the best defensive player in baseball, at any position, has multiple years of control, and actually stays on the field and in the lineup, and is in his first arb season.