Brendan O’Sullivan breaks down the Luis Robert Jr. trade between the New York Mets and the Chicago White Sox.
The Mets are committed to building a championship roster, and the latest offseason move was to acquire Luis Robert Jr., via a trade with the White Sox.
Robert had been in trade talks for a number of years now, but Chicago finally pulled the trigger on the move. The former All-Star outfielder spent six seasons with the White Sox, debuting in 2020 at 22 years old. His best year came in 2023 when he earned his only All-Star appearance and Silver Slugger award. He batted .264 and hit 38 home runs across 145 games, finishing 12th in AL MVP voting.
This is a new beginning for Robert, who will turn 29 during the 2026 MLB season. He’s a career center fielder and is likely to maintain this position with New York.
Who did New York give up to acquire Robert? Here’s a look at the trade details for the Mets and White Sox trade on Tuesday.
Luis Robert Jr. trade details
The Mets are in win-now mode, so they opted to trade away two prospects in Luisangel Acuna and Truman Pauley.
Full trade, per ESPN sources:
Mets receive: CF Luis Robert Jr.
White Sox receive: IF Luisangel Acuña and RHP Truman Pauley
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) January 21, 2026
Acuna, the younger brother of Braves OF Ronald Acuna, made his MLB debut with the Mets in 2024. He played 14 games in his first year and 90 games in 2025. He primarily played second base, but he spent some time at shortstop, third base and center field, too.
Pauley was a 12th round pick in the 2025 MLB Draft out of Harvard. He has yet to debut in the majors, and has pitched just 4.1 innings across three starts in A-ball.
Besides the potential upside that both prospects hold, Chicago gets Robert’s contract off its books. Robert is set to make $20 million this year and has a club option for $20 million in 2027 before becoming an unrestricted free agent in 2028.