After signing Bo Bichette last week, the New York Mets have made another big move.
The Mets have acquired centerfielder Luis Robert Jr. from the Chicago White Sox in return for infielder Luisangel Acuña and right-handed pitcher Truman Pauley.
ESPN’s Jeff Passan first reported the trade.
The outfielder will wear No. 88 with his new team:
Robert, a former Gold Glove Award and Silver Slugger Award winner, is coming off a season in which he hit 14 home runs and 53 RBI while slashing .223/.297/.364. It was far from the best season of his career, but he was also limited to just 110 games because of a hamstring injury suffered in August.
He was starting to get hot before the injury, posting a .298/.352/.456 slash line over 31 second-half games.
The White Sox exercised their $20 million option on Robert’s contract in November, and general manager Chris Getz indicated at the time that the team wanted him to stick around in 2026.
“We’re planning on him being in a White Sox uniform,” Getz said. “What he did in the second half was very indicative of what he’s capable of doing and how that can impact our team. You look at the production we had when he was in the lineup, and oftentimes, it helped us win baseball games.”
Manager Will Venable also spoke highly of the center fielder.
“This guy is a game changer,” he said. “We all know that his skill set is incredible and he can make an impact on the field as much as anybody on this planet. To have him out there healthy, it makes all the difference in the world for us.”
While Chicago appeared to be excited about having Robert around, the offer from the Mets proved to be enough to move him to the Big Apple.
Now that the Mets have added one outfielder, the question that remains is whether they’ll continue their pursuit of coveted free agent Cody Bellinger. Will Sammon of The Athletic reported earlier this week that the Mets “still hold interest in signing” in signing Bellinger, though they prefer a short-term deal.
The signing of Robert would seemingly curb that interest some.