May 23, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago White Sox center fielder Luis Robert Jr. (88) celebrates after hitting an RBI-single against the Texas Rangers during the third inning at Rate Field. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images Kamil Krzaczynski
The Phillies will visit the Chicago White Sox Monday-Wednesday. Is it possible that at some point during the series that Luis Robert Jr. could switch clubhouses?
Francys Romero of Beisbol FR — who has a history of providing credible intel on hispanic players — reported Saturday evening that the Phillies are a real player for the White Sox center fielder:
The Phillies are one of the teams seriously considering and monitoring OF Luis Robert Jr. more and more closely, per sources.
This comes a night after Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic wrote this:
Chicago White Sox center fielder Luis Robert Jr. was not in the lineup for the second time in three games on Friday night due to a tight groin, but the expectation that he will be traded (Philadelphia? San Diego?) is rising.
That wasn't necessarily a report from Rosenthal, but it's probably not a coincidence that the Phillies are one of the two teams mentioned.
Robert has been speculated upon as a trade candidate for the Phillies dating back to last summer, and he's a complicated player to evaluate.
In 2023, Robert hit 38 home runs and posted an .857 OPS. He's also a right-handed hitter and plays center field, a position the Phillies have struggled to solve for much of the last 15 years.
At the same time, Robert has hit .216 with a .649 OPS since the start of the 2024 season, and has a lengthy injury history. Rosenthal mentioned the recent groin tightness, and 2023 is the only season that Robert has played more than 100 games in. (He entered the league during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season).
A year ago — when it appeared that it would take a haul to land Robert — there were too many red flags for the Phillies and other teams.
But Robert is essentially just a rental at this point. He has $20 million club options in his contract for 2026 and 2027, but with the way things are going now, whoever is employing him will just take the $2 million buyout and be done with the deal in the winter. So the White Sox aren't going to get a ton for Robert if they trade him.
Given the needs the Phillies have both in the outfield and the middle of their lineup, there's definitely a case to be made for trading for Robert if it doesn't require giving up a top-10 prospect. Is there a scenario where he's bad and/or injured and you don't get much out of him? Yes. There's also the possibility that Robert — who will turn 28 during the first week of August — revives his career when he gets away from an incompetent organization like the White Sox. Maybe he plays his way back into the $20 million option next year being a consideration, maybe not. But if he's just solid, that would give you an outfield upgrade over Max Kepler, and allow you to move Brandon Marsh to left field, which is his better position. In this scenario, Justin Crawford could either finish the season at Triple-A Lehigh Valley or be part of another trade. Robert could also just platoon with Marsh in left field, while having Crawford play every day in center field, something Dombrowski said would need to happen if Crawford was promoted.
It's a lot to think about, but the evaluation with Robert is a very different one than it was a year ago. And it seems that the Phillies recognize that.
