Grading the Trade: Did the White Sox Make the Right Call Moving Robert?

After trading Luis Robert Jr. to the Mets, the White Sox outfield will take on a drastically different look.

In exchange for their longtime center fielder, the White Sox received infielder Luisangel Acuña and right-hander Truman Pauley. As things stand, Brooks Baldwin, Andrew Benintendi, Derek Hill, Everson Pereira, and Tristan Hill are the only outfielders currently on the roster. To add depth, the front office also signed Dustin Harris and former first-round pick Jarred Kelenic to minor league deals.

White Sox Outfield Faces Major Shake-Up

While Baldwin offers value as a utility option, he isn’t good enough defensively to be an everyday outfielder. The front office has also indicated that they want to dial back Benintendi’s workload in left field, with plans to transition him into a more consistent designated hitter role.

Acuña’s arrival further reshapes the roster and could intensify competition across the White Sox infield. As things stand, Chase Meidroth and Colson Montgomery are penciled in up the middle, with Munetaka Murakami and Miguel Vargas occupying the corner spots, setting the stage for a crowded and competitive infield picture.

However, Acuña’s versatility adds another layer of intrigue. Though he spent most of last season at second base, he has experience at shortstop, third base, and center field.

That leaves the door open for a White Sox outfield filled with Kelenic, Pereira, and Acuna, three former high-end prospects who have failed to find success at the big league level.

The Case For Holding Onto Robert

Given that Acuna was the centerpiece of the return, there is a case to be made that the White Sox would have been better off holding onto Robert. In 95 games last season, Acuña posted a .567 OPS with no home runs and just eight RBIs, though he has yet to reach 300 career at-bats.

While the White Sox also added hard-throwing right-hander Truman Pauley, who brings legitimate swing-and-miss potential, he remains a former 12th-round pick. He is best viewed as a lottery ticket in the organization’s rebuild.

Robert, at the very least, provided elite defense in center field, speed on the basepaths, and a proven big-league bat capable of protecting a young lineup as the team’s next core continues to take shape. That defense up the middle would also be beneficial to a young White Sox pitching staff.

That’s why Chris Getz’s decision to exercise Robert’s  $20 million option seemed like a smart decision, given there were no upgrades available on the open market within the White Sox’s price range.

But after being followed by trade rumors for months, it was clear that Robert’s days in Chicago were numbered.

End Of An Era

Robert was the final holdover from a previous era of White Sox baseball defined by unmet expectations. Once hailed as a potential franchise-altering talent, Robert finished his six seasons in Chicago, slashing .259/.313/.455 with 102 home runs and 298 RBIs. Along the way, he won a Gold Glove Award in 2020, captured a Silver Slugger Award in 2023, and was named an All-Star after posting a 4.9 WAR with 38 home runs and 20 stolen bases.

But the 28-year-old quickly came crashing back to earth. An injury-riddled 2024 season limited Robert to just 100 games and produced the lowest OPS of his career. That slump carried into 2025, as he matched a career-low 1.4 WAR.

The lack of production made finding a trade partner difficult, but there were signs of life late in the season. Before a hamstring injury ended his year in late August, Robert posted an .808 OPS in the second half. He also appeared reenergized by the team’s young core, routinely hustling down the line and tracking down balls in the outfield that few players could even dream of reaching.

Initial Trade Grade

Had Getz been willing to roll the dice and hold onto Robert into the season, there was a real chance Chicago could have cashed in on a much larger return if he picked up where he left off.

Instead, Getz determined that a 210-game sample over the past two seasons was sufficient to make a move and take the safer path forward. While Robert’s ceiling may still be higher than Acuña’s, the Mets’ willingness to absorb his entire salary proved too enticing to pass up. The trade gives the White Sox $20 million in financial flexibility, which Getz has said will be reinvested into the roster, while also bringing back a speedy, versatile, cost-controlled player in Acuña and a lottery-ticket arm in Pauley.

However, the White Sox are now left with question marks across the outfield after losing one of the best defensive centerfielders in baseball. Does Acuna make the White Sox drastically better next season? Probably not.

The grade of the trade reflects the move, passable but uninspiring.

The Grade: C+