Rumors continue to SWIRL as the Pirates eye Luis Robert Jr. in a potential White Sox OFFSEASON SWAP

Rumors continue to SWIRL as the Pirates eye Luis Robert Jr. in a potential White Sox OFFSEASON SWAP

The White Socks may have found a team willing to trade for Luis Robert Jr. this off season. You are Locked on White Socks, your daily Chicago White Socks podcast, part of the Locked On Network, your team every day. Hello, I'm Todd Welter. Welcome to Lockdown White Sox, part of the Lockdown Podcast Network, now the number one sports podcast network. I'm a lifelong socks fan. I've been podcasting here for over a year and a half and covering the team well before then. And also, I've covered Major League Baseball for outlets such as the Associated Press. Well, I'm going to get to your mailbag questions, which include if the White Socks draft another shortstop next July. Will that player beat this year's number one pick, Billy Carlson, to the show? after I discuss how I got a feeling the White Sox are not going to upgrade right field after missing out on Adelis Garcia, but maybe still make a run to improve first base even with Josh Bell off the markets. But first, let's discuss the recent rumor that the Pittsburgh Pirates are interested in Luis Robert Jr. and if the Buckos would make a good trade partner. Today's episode is brought to you by FanDuel. If you want to be right in the middle of the action this season, visit FanDuel.com and place your NFL live bets all season long. Well, the Luis Robert Jr. trade rumors continue to turn out. And I know I said I'm sick of them, but they just won't go away. And hey, I'm going to tackle them if they, you know, are at least come from credible sources. I mean, I talk about the White Sox at least a minimum of five days a week all year round. So, obviously, when a Luis Robert Jr. trade rumor comes up and it comes from, you know, a credible source, we're going to have to discuss it, like it or not. And I discussed on yesterday's show how Jerry Rindorf is likely to hold up any deal with the ideal trade partner, the New York Mets, because he just doesn't want to give Steve Cohen any uh financial help. Because at the end of the day, yes, Luis Robert Jr. still has some value. He's still very talented, but he is definitely overpaid at $20 million for this year. Uh the San Diego Padres's, they've been rumored as a Sooner, but I keep maintaining if they wanted him, they already would have traded for him. he would already be on the Padres's because AJ Pller never hesitates to pull off a move that he thinks is going to upgrade his roster. Now maybe he's going to wait out Chris gets kind of like what he did with Dylan CE in 2023, but still I'm just I think he would have been on the Padres's by now. Uh there was also some rumblings that the Phillies could be interested in LRJ and that still could be the case although they did just sign Alise Garcia which I will discuss in the next segment. And as James Fox of future.net pointed out, the one thing that could potentially impact um Luis Robert Jr. and when it comes to Otis Garcia's signing is, you know, him signing for $10 million could maybe be a link to how much an organization's going to say, "Hey, this is how much you have to pay down on LRJ's $20 million salary." And there are reports that the organization is willing to do that so long as it's not the Mets. So, enter the Pirates as a possible destination according to Francis Romero Romero, uh the Latin baseball reporter. He did uh recently tweet out, this is Francis Romero, uh Fr. I got the tweet up for those watching on YouTube. Several teams, including the Mets, Padres's, and Pirates have expressed interest in center fielder Luis Robert Jr. The White Sox continue to evaluate different scenarios. Multiple industry sources believe Robert Jr. has a strong chance of being traded this off season and I do think the Pirates could be a solid trade partner for the White Socks if they did trade Luis Robert Jr. Granted they got to cover some salary and this would be the one team that though I do think the White Sox would have to do business in the off season to make a trade happen regarding Luis Robert Jr. is I don't see them being in contention next July to circle back. Like, you know, you could still probably get the Padres's interested or the Mets or the Phillies if Chris gets decides to hold on to Luis Robert Jr. and chase that white whale trade package that he's looking for because those teams are probably going to be in contention in July. the Pirates. I mean, they've got some pitching. They got Paul Skins, but I don't see them being in the NL Central race enough to be like, "Yeah, let's go get Luis Robert Jr." Um, because right now, one of the reasons why they might be interested is they're trying to give off this impression that they are willing to spend, that they are willing to make roster upgrades, that they are willing to bring in name brand players. Uh, but before you dream it, just think. There's no way Pittsburgh's going to give up any of their top eight prospects. There's, you know, for Luis Robert Jr., there's no chance of getting Connor Griffin or Bubba Chandler or Seth Hernandez, but they do got some players ranked 9 through 16 per MLB pipeline that still could be worth making a deal with the Pirates. Um, because in terms of the farm system rankings, Pittsburgh's got one of the most deepest farm systems, at least according to value, per Fang Graphs, they are at the top. They were ranked third according to Bleacher Reports Joel Rutder's recent farm system rankings that I think he had out at the end of the season. Uh they were ranked ninth according to MLB pipeline uh when they put out their latest rankings back in August. But don't dream about any of the top eight. I mean, you would actually need Luis Robert Jr. to go on a tear from April through June to get any hope of tapping into uh Pittsburgh's upper tier. And also, you would need Pittsburgh to be in contention to think, hey, that's the missing piece. But Pittsburgh's interest is relative to the narrative that ownership does want to show that, hey, they're willing to put out a competitive product. You know, there's always been that talk that they're going to try to get their payroll over 100 million, that they are willing to spend some money. So, that's why the White Sox would have to do business with them now, uh, to tap into them potentially wanting to pull off a deal and have that interest. I did ask Lockdown Pirates host Gary Morgan if the Pirates interest is legit. Um he hasn't heard anything outside of uh Romero's report, but he did say that, you know, the guy is credible. I mean, he did break Otis Garcia's signing with the Phillies. You know, he's tapped into the um Latin baseball player market, but he hasn't really heard anything from on his side. Uh but he did say he could see the Pirates parting with a prospect ranked between 10 and 15 if money does get paid down. Now before you go, that is still pennies on the dollar. Well, yes, but remember the market has been screaming back. That is what LRJ is going for. And it's another reason why I just don't think Robert Junior is getting traded this off season. And Chris gets the White Sox general manager was on 670 in the score this morning with Mully and Hall and he again kind of said, "Hey, we're going to look at all opportunities blah blah blah." But I I just don't think he's going to be moving Robert Jr. because he's going to be looking for, you know, a higher trade return. He's still probably looking for those, you know, two top five prospects like he was last off season. But, you know, what about players that still have not been given a runway, some, you know, good, decent, solid prospects? Could that entice GM Chris gets because he keeps talking about runways, you know, and he keeps talking about, you know, we got to acquire guys that maybe still have some talent, you know, that have good talent or high talent that just haven't been given that runway. Well, the Pirates got some guys that are in that 10 to 16 range, even, you know, their number nine ranked prospect. Raphael Flores, he might be someone Gats would like, you know, to consider because he is a catcher and, you know, Gats loves him some catching. Uh, but he could also play first base. So before you freak out, hey, we got too many catchers, he can also play first base. He had an 824 OPS and 22 home runs between stints at double A and AAA. And he also earned a late season callup, although he came over in the David Bart deal from the Yankees. So I doubt Pittsburgh gives up, you know, gives him up. But how about number 10 prospect Thomas Harrington? He's the sort of young pitching prospect that the White Socks have been targeting. 60 great control did have some regression at Triple A this past season with a 5.34 erra and he did get three big league appearances but he got rocked a 15.58 erra. Uh but the biggest issue was the home run ball according to uh Pittsburgh baseball now. You know he gave up 20 home runs in the minors. Also dealt with a groin injury. Um and he's going to have to you know put together, you know, kind of a putaway pitch. You know, that's kind of an issue for him. And to me though, we could look at it one of the two ways. This guy might be a perfect setup to have Zack Boove, the new pitching coach, create that putaway pitch because both, you know, is noted for, you know, pitch development and that type of stuff. But at the same point, do you want to trade Luis Robert Jr. for another potential Jonathan Cannon? That's the two ways to look at it. How about Pirates number 12 prospect per MLB pipeline? Nick Yorkie. He's an infield outfielder. can project to play right. Um and second base already has had 106 career big league at bats but not done much in them. Does have a career 79 uh 798 OPS in the minors. Uh won't hit a ton of home runs but he can still slug with a career 436 slugging percentage in five minor league seasons. He's got a 55 great hit tool. So he's got that bat to ball skills that the White Sox could always use in the organization. Uh the dream actually would be their 16th ranked prospect in my opinion. Uh as Miller as Merlin Valdez. He can absolutely blast the ball. 21 years old, hit 25 home runs last year between High A and DoubleA. Um 60 great power, does strike out a little bit, but he was the offensive player of the year in the Arizona Fall League, but he just got to add to the 40man roster. So, I'm not sure the Pirates are going to give him, but there's some options there. Well, turns out the White Socks were not the ideal landing spot for Adelise Garcia and potential first baseman free agent Josh Bell. He's going to Minnesota. Let's discuss what the singles, what the front office will do at right field and in first base next season. That is coming up next. NFL Sundays move fast. One big play and suddenly everything feels different. That's what makes live betting with FanDuel so exciting. You're not just watching the game, you're reacting to it in real time. With FanDuel, you can place bets as the action unfolds. Every drive, every momentum swing, every highlight moment. 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And thank you for making Lockdown the number one sports podcast network. You already live your team every day. Now take it up a level and go ad free. Join the Everyday Dair Club today and get Lockdown White socks with no interruptions, a membersonly Discord access, and more. All for just $5 a month or $50 a year. Go to lockdowns.supcast.com or check the link in the show notes to learn more. All right, a few things stuck out to me on potential free agents that could have been good bridge options that the White Socks have now watched sign elsewhere. And that is I don't know if they are really going to be targeting adding a veteran bridge option at least at right field and first base because I got that feeling because even though it's a one year and the other thing is is I don't think they're going to be spending a lot of money. That's the biggest thing on a good bridge option because I got that feeling though even though it's a one-year deal. Adise Garcia is getting $10 million. Josh Bell just signed for $7 million with the uh Twins. That might be a little bit too rich for the White Socks. Uh, two, when it comes to not signing Bell, I'm totally fine with that. Um, because when you stack up his numbers up to Lenin Sosa, I'll take my chances on the younger, cheaper Sosa still getting better and still potentially just finding first base when he's trying to field it, you know, because that that that's one thing that he could really improve upon is is just actually locating first base when he's trying to receive the ball. And if he can do that, then yeah, I definitely have no problem with Sosa being the first baseman next year. Uh, three, I still think the White Socks should have made a run at Garcia and paid the 10 million hoping he can bounce back rather than let's trying the Brooks Baldwin experience in right. But I will say this, even though I don't think they're going to be spending, you know, up to$10 million. I got a feeling if they can get Ryan O'Harn at a lesser price, they would bring him in since, you know, he can hit, you know, he's a left-handed bat. He can play a little bit of right field. Whereas Bell, he is a switch hitter, but he is glued to first base and DH. And the White Socks, they got to have the DH spot open, you know, like pretty much every day rather than, you know, flip-flopping based on the matchups if you want to have Bell dhing or first base because you got to have DH open for making sure that you have Kyle Thiel and Edgar Carroll in the lineup as much as possible along with sometimes having Kyle Thiel, Edgar Carroll, and Lenin Sosa in the lineup as much as possible. And then even begrudgingly, just because the finances dictated, even though I think it's stupid and you should just eat the money, Andrew Benendi getting at bats. But my fear is if you keep seeing the second tier of free agents continue to fly off the board, then I'm fully prepared for the only move that the White Sox make to the lineup is bringing back Mike Tman because I do think they do need to get, you know, a a decent option in right to kind of split time with Brooks Baldwin because the adventure of Brooks Baldwin in the outfield still kind of scares me. But Garcia, and I've done shows on this, would have been a great signing for the White Socks considering they need power in the lineup and he can still provide decent defense in right field. And I will say this, who knew the Phillies would be shopping in the bargain bin section of free agency? And Dave Dumbrossski has been always aggressive and they go and they sign Garcia to a one-year makeg good deal. Uh, and if a contender is shopping in that figurative aisle in free agency, well then yeah, it's going to be kind of hard to win a bidding war and might even be why even start because if you're out at least Garcia and you're like, well, let's see. I can still compete for a playoff spot with the Phillies with the White Socks. Yeah, I mean I'll get, you know, the same amount of at bats. They may flip me at the deadline, but I'm not in control of where I want to go even at the deadline. Yeah, I'm going to go side with the Phillies. You know, I'm gonna go chase some win in there because I was chasing, you know, I won a World Series in Texas. I was a World Series hero. So, I get why he made that move. But, you know, I'm going to keep reinforcing it. I'm just very skittish on Brooks Baldwin being the everyday right fielder to start the season. And I'm also skittish on this belief he is the second coming of Ben Zist. You know, that that's kind of the the name that always gets invoked. I mean, I I get every team needs a super utility player, and the floor to me is always going to be like Leori Garcia. I mean, he was a very solid super utility player for nine seasons on the Southside, and then they paid him for no reason. And Tony Larusa just loved, you know, his scrappiness and grinderness and just shoved him down our throats and it just was not the role that Larry Garcia should be in. Leri Garcia was perfect to play four days a week and if there was an injury then yes, play him every day. And that that might be what Brooks Baldwin is. And I'm not saying, hey, let let's get rid of him and all that. He just I don't think he's going to reach that ceiling of being Ben Zrist. And even if he is Ben Zbrrist, Ben Z's best position was in the infield, second base. And I think he would be better suited to the infield with his only outfield work being in left field. But I mean, hey, at least wins and losses, they're not going to matter much next season. You just want to see them make another jump in the win column. Hopefully another like maybe 15 game jump. And if he does make an error, right, at worst, you just got to hope it's a non RBI double. You know, that that's what you always got to worry about with any of your corner outfielders that are weak defensively. Well, if it gets over their head, at worst, you just got to hope it's a non RBI double and then you try to work around it. Um, but Garcia was a chance to raise the talent floor in right at least for a year, you know, and I think the White Sox missed out on that. On the flip side though, I am glad the White Sox are saving 7 million. As my buddy Bez of Ontet, friend of the show, he ran the numbers on social media at beyond bezythepen. You should check that out. And you're going to get the same production Josh Bell produced for way less with Lenny and Sosa. I mean, Sosa had the higher B-w, more hits, equal home runs at 22, more RBI's, a better batting average, and a better slugging percentage. Bell's only really better uh than Sosa is in the onbase percentage, OPS, and OPS plus. And the reason is is because just Josh Bell had an on base percentage over 300 where you know Lenin Sosa obviously I keep saying you know he's got to walk a fine line if he keeps chasing pitches he's got to walk a fine line between being a value hitter the old school way of hitting for average whether even if it is 28 280 which is basically now the the new norm or for slug over 400. If he can do those two things then he's still providing you val you know value. If he doesn't do any of them, then yeah, he's terrible. But, you know, and I've kind of had this conversation at least on social media with Bez and Sean Anderson of the CSGO White Sox podcast and a former host of this show on exformly Twitter about I I'm actually in the the the school with Bez of Let's see if Sosa can still get better. I mean, Lenin Sosa has earned the right to return next season. He's earned the right to see if he can still continue to get better. And you know, he keeps defying the skeptics and he keeps showing that he can get better. But Sean pointed out it might be tough because the contact rate for Sosa dips once you get to two strikes, which okay, one way you look at it is is yeah, that, you know, that's going to lead to again more strikeouts instead of, you know, working the count and possibly getting on base. And again, he does he's a free swinger, but Bez pointed out, you know, it could be another growth area if he can continue to extend his early count contact because he does make good contact early in the count uh deeper into counts. If he can do that, then yeah, you got a chance to have a better player. And I think if he can get his walk rate up a bit and have an OBP around 300, that would also show some growth. And again, if he can get a good slug and hit 30 home runs, maybe he's at, you know, that solid value player. And I do think though that they're probably going to still try to pursue Ryan O'Harn. I don't have any inside information, but it wouldn't shock me, but again, I think they want him at a discounted price. Well, on Tuesday, I tackle your mailbag questions and comments, and let's dive into if the White Socks take Rock Chowski in next July draft number one overall, would he beat Billy Carlson to the show? And that is coming up next. 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Well, mail call and I want to dedicate this seg, you know, the mailbag segment to actually one question that I really like that was posed by Bob uh when he emailed [email protected]. And remember, you can email me lockdown [email protected]. I'll be happy to be your electronic pen pal. Uh on the flip side, we you know, again, if you subscribe to the everyday club for five bucks a month or $50 for an entire year, there will be the membersonly discord chat and I'm in there and we can talk baseball. You know, I love talking baseball as long as it's um respectful and it doesn't get awkward between the both of us. You know, hopefully it don't come across as weird and that type of stuff. Hey, let's talk baseball. I'm here. I love talking baseball. But this is what he asks. Serious question. If the Socks pitch uh if the Socks pick Rock Chowski, he will be a college junior this year. Would who would make it to the major league team first, Rock or a 19-year-old Billy Carlson? And I did reply back just really quick. So that's why I want to actually tackle this for the whole segment. But I did reply back, it's probably going to be Rock Towelski, and it's because Carlson's development is going to take some time because of the need to adjust his swing. I mean, that was clearly pointed out as one of the things that he has to fix if he is going to be a star shore stop in the majors because this is what the scouting report per MLB pipeline had to say about his swing. Though Carlson has the hand eye coordination, bat speed, and strength to produce at the plate, most evaluators who saw him as an amateur believed he needed to overhaul his offensive game as a pro. He tinkers with his stance and right-handed stroke too much, and he'll get too long with his swing at times and too passive at others. His power stands out more than his pure hitting ability and could translate into 20 homers per season. So yeah, I mean, he's got to make sure he doesn't put any holes in his swing, make sure that he doesn't have a long swing because again, that can get you tied up pretty quickly on, you know, pitches, especially inside. Um, you know, basically just stop, you know, get a consistent swing, make sure it can get the bat on the ball as quickly as possible and make sure it can cause damage. And also, his projected ETA is 2029 per MLB pipeline. Now, you got to remember though when it comes to the White Sox organization, the difference between, you know, projected and actual probably you should move it up a year because the White Socks, you know, they love to challenge their prospects. You know, there I think they are starting to implement some standards of like how many innings a guy should pitch, um, how many at bats he should get, you know, in the minors, but I don't think it matters to them whether it's at AAA or single A or double A. Uh although they are using I like that that they are using the Baronss more as the development ground rather than the uh Knights at AAA but it's going to be one of those things where the White Sox do like to kind of you know move up the timeline by a year. Although in Carlson, I do think it might have to be 2029, but he's got to implement the swing changes that, you know, he reportedly and he even said that he started working on around the draft and then probably anything else the team is thinking to tweak and he still has to do that like for for example at rookie ball because he's still yet to play in the complex league. Remember he was playing transition games on back fields in Glendale, Arizona after being drafted. you know, he was not at he did not officially play in the Arizona Complex League. He played in the uh like oh man I just forgot the name of it that like the development league where you know it's kind of that transition league where they play a bunch of games with other teams and you know kind of basically you know extended spring training and maybe the swing changes catch on quickly and he blasts through the miners but maybe it's going to take him a little bit of time to adjust and rock you know if he's on the same production timeline in the minor as he's already shown at UCLA. It wouldn't surprise me if he again beats Carlson because think about this. He hit .308 with an 899 OPS and eight home runs his freshman year at UCLA and then it jumped to 353 average, a 1.190 OPS and 23 dingers his sophomore year. And if he takes another production step forward this year, a I think he's the pick. like you have to take him then like I I think then he you know he clears all hurdles because I think that's the one thing that you know I think you need to monitor Rock and obviously still scout Justin LeBron and Grady Emerson and Jacob Lumbard you know that they those are the guys too that I think that they should take a look at you know Drew Burrus I'm sorry he's more Salic and I don't think you take a guy like Sal Ferick one great energizer player going be a solid player, but I think you got to go with the four shorts stops. You know, those are the guys that I think that they got to be targeting and monitoring. But if Rock doesn't show any regression or even if the numbers just dip a little bit, but you know, it's still very good production. It's not like a Jace Lavlette, you know, type decline because remember he was almost considered 1-1 at this time, then you got to go with Rock. But also, if he can make the step forward, then you got to have that confidence in the trend that he can grow his game quickly. And if you look at historical trends too of number one overall picks when it comes to position players taken out of college recently, they do tend tend to get to the show relatively quickly compared to their draft year. Adley Rutman, number one overall pick in 2019 out of Oregon State. He's drafted, you know, and he debuts in 2022. Spencer Tolson 2024 draft number one overall pick. He debuts in 2022 and he didn't even have the miners during his draft year because of COVID. Henry Davis 2024 number one draft pick by the Pittsburgh Pirates. He debuts in 2023. Travis Bazana 2024 number one overall pick. He's already got to triple A this past season. And again, only Rutman was a 65 overall grade two player. So that's kind of the company that Rock is in. So typically a 60-grade college player because those are the other guys usually has the talent and a little bit more seasoning to make that jump quicker from the amateur settings to the show because the other thing is is Rock has pa has faced I think you know more polished pitching even better pitching you know Carlson did play high school ball at the fame Corona High School in California and he's played in the showcase leagues in California so he has faced some impressive pitching but still probably nowhere near the polish or the level game in and game out that Rock faced in the Pack 12 his freshman year. And then in the Big 10 last season, I mean Pack 12, he got to face schools that produced good pitchers such as Stanford, Oregon State, Arizona, Arizona State. Last season, he faced pitching from Vanderbilt, USC, Indiana, Maryland, Iowa, LSU, and Arkansas. So he faced a higher pedigree and he produced. Carlson, he still has to cross that bar and I think he can, but it may take some time. So it wouldn't shock me to see him in the show by say September 2028 or early 2029. And it wouldn't shock me to see Rock if he is the pick getting the call late 2027 or early 2028. That wraps up this edition of Lockdown White Sox. I'll be back tomorrow with a wayback Wednesday segment. Make sure to subscribe to the YouTube channel at Lockdown Whitesox. If you can't catch the show on YouTube, make sure to follow subscribe wherever you get your audio podcast so you get all the latest episodes as we are on platforms such as Apple or Spotify. You can follow the show on exform Twitter, lockdowns. You can also follow me on exform Twitter, Tajj Dub. You can also follow the show on Tik Tok, lockdowns. You can also email me your questions or comments to [email protected]. Have a great day and I'll talk to you tomorrow. Lockdown white socks make your Spotify wrapped. 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The Chicago White Sox face a pivotal offseason as Luis Robert Jr. draws trade interest from the Pittsburgh Pirates, Mets, and Padres. Could a blockbuster deal reshape both franchises, or will GM Chris Getz hold out for a top-tier return? The discussion explores Pittsburgh’s deep farm system, weighing the pros and cons of acquiring prospects like Rafael Flores, Thomas Harrington, and Esmerlyn Valdez if salary is covered.

Host Todd Welter examines missed opportunities with free agents Adolis García and Josh Bell, questioning the Sox’s reluctance to spend and the likelihood of settling for internal options like Brooks Baldwin and Lenyn Sosa. Listener mail spotlights the race between 2024 top draft prospects Rock Cholowsky and Billy Carlson—who will reach MLB first? Get insights on the Sox’s rebuilding strategy, free agency priorities, and prospects’ development timeline. Are the White Sox ready to make bold moves or destined for another year of bridge options?

0:00 – Luis Robert Jr. Trade Rumors

Host Todd Welter introduces the show and discusses the ongoing trade rumors surrounding Luis Robert Jr., focusing on the Pittsburgh Pirates’ reported interest, trade package expectations, farm system deep dive, and impact on the White Sox.

11:33 – White Sox First Base & Right Field Plans

Todd Welter analyzes the White Sox’s recent missed opportunities in free agency (Adolis Garcia, Josh Bell), what it means for first base and right field next season, internal options, and broader organizational spending strategy.

21:19 – Mailbag: Next Shortstop ETA

Dedicated to answering listener Bob’s question: if the Sox take Rock Cholowsky next July, will he or Billy Carlson reach MLB first? Todd Welter gives a breakdown of player development timelines, swing adjustments, and historical rookie call-ups.

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