The primary focus around the White Sox’ offseason at present is their ongoing slate of trade negotiations surrounding righty Dylan Cease, the 2022 AL Cy Young runner-up. Rookie ChiSox GM Chris Getz said last month that there are no players on the roster that he deems untouchable, Cease included, but he continues to describe center fielder Luis Robert Jr. differently that others on his roster.
Getz openly acknowledged widespread interest in Cease yesterday (link via Scott Merkin of MLB.com), noting that there’s no club in MLB that “doesn’t have a level of interest” before eventually adding that Cease is “right at the top” of the offseason market for starting pitching. On Robert, however, Getz understandably struck a different tone.
“Luis Robert is a very difficult player to move and expect that your club is going to get better because of it,” said Getz. “We’re talking about one of the best players in baseball, and we’re very fortunate to have him with the Chicago White Sox. So I have a tough time seeing him wearing another uniform next year.”
Getz again sidestepped the type of firm denial his Anaheim counterpart, Perry Minasian, put forth today on former AL MVP Mike Trout. But Getz also continues to characterize Robert as someone who’s all but assured of staying put on Chicago’s South Side. The reasoning isn’t hard to see. While the Sox are coming off a disastrous 101-loss season, Robert was nothing short of sensational i 2023, hitting .264/.315/.548 with 38 home runs, 36 doubles, 20 steals (in 24 tries) and plus defense in center field. Had the White Sox not been all but eliminated from contention by the end of April, Robert quite likely would’ve found himself on more MVP ballots. (He finished 12th as it is.)
Beyond Robert’s general excellence on the field, he’s also just 26 years old and is signed for another two seasons with two subsequent club options thereafter. In all, he can be controlled through the 2027 season at a combined total of $67.5MM. That type of commitment over a four-year term from a prime-aged center fielder with an MVP-caliber ceiling is a staggering bargain — particularly when the last two seasons aren’t even guaranteed (thus affording the team an eject option if Robert incurs a significant injury).
Ultimately, a trade feels decidedly unlikely. We haven’t seen an established player with this level of affordable contract/team control traded in some time; Juan Soto might be the best recent comparison, but he had just two and a half seasons of control remaining and was expected to earn more than Robert over the course of his remaining control as a player going year-to-year through arbitration (with enormous counting stats).
Once Shohei Ohtani and other top free agents are off the board (ditto Juan Soto and other prominent trade candidates), clubs who miss out on those top targets could well circle back to the White Sox and Robert. However, the type of farm-depleting haul that Robert would command is probably one from which nearly any of Getz’s peers would shy away.
I’m glad to hear that something I didn’t think would happen is not happening.
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There’s basically no package that makes sense with the amount of control he has left.
How confident is ownership the White Sox are going to be relevant within the next 4 years? The White Sox are probably in a better position than the Royals, but nobody else in the division.
Luis Robert provides little to no value to the White Sox while they’re not expecting to make the playoffs. Every trade which adds to the likelihood of the White Sox’s playoff aspirations or speeds their return to playoff expectations has some merit.
What are you talking about? That was one dumb post as Robert has 4 years left with team.
Feel free to re-read my post
So basically every rumor posted in the past 2 months on every site is being flushed down the toilet by actual interviews.
If only there was a way to talk, text, call, or email executives the other 51 weeks a year…
Yet another “nothing burger”.
Got it, so every team is smelling their own farts and no one is selling. Everyone is delusional and all 30 teams will make the playoffs. Cool! Fun off-season, MLB!
I’m sure teams are really worried about you feelings
The padres could pull off a trade for Roberts and Cease and are prob the only team that would pull a trigger.
They could trade Soto for a prospect heavy deal. Less mlb type guys. Add that to their current system and they could do it with guys to spare.
With that said I highly doubt it.
Merrill, Lesko and Snelling. But no way the Padres would do that. And the Padres would still need to find a rotation.
They could do Salas. Keep snelling. Trade Soto for pitching. They would still have money to spend since Soto is more the Roberts and cease combined.
I don’t think the White Sox need Salas. Trade Soto for pitching could work but he’s not worth as much as you think he is. Robert has far far more value than Soto you have to understand that.
They’d need a lot more than Salas. Four years of a 5 WAR player for $67M is really difficult to value. The last time someone like this was traded might’ve been Soto.
Soto was a little better, but was only a 2.5 year player, as opposed to Robert’s 4 years. But I think that is the trade territory you’d be in.
No joke. Was just answering your padres would need pitching. If they traded prospects for cease and Roberts from the padres system.
They could trade Soto for and get a pitcher. Plus some others and still save about 10 after get acquiring Roberts and cease.
Padres are at 181m in payroll. Report yesterday they will go up to 220m this year cutting 35m off of last years payroll.
So they have about 40m to spend now. Trade Soto and Grisham that’s another 38m. Giving them up to 77m and to spend.
Roberts and cease if I around 20m total next year (think Roberts is around 11m and cease 9)
Leaves the padres with 57m left.
Rotation of
Cease
Mustgrove
Darvish
Soto trade
Free agent
Have to figure out left field. Could sign Lee or some other options like Marsee.
Anyways it’s not going to happen but the padres are one of the teams that could pull something off like this.
As of now I think it’s 50/50 if they even trade Soto.
Yeah it’s wouldn’t be Salas alone I was saying they could include Salas. Like Salas Merrill lesko Zavala. That’s the 5th, 9th, 65th and 93rd best prospects in baseball.
Leaves snelling as a padre.
If they actually wanted Salas sure I think that’s fair but I don’t believe they would. That offer sounds about right though.
I mean even if you don’t want Salas
You take him. They can move him later if they want. A 65 fv 17 year old catcher doesn’t grow on trees. He will prob be the number one prospect in baseball soon. Better maturing and others moving off the list. The kid is a super stud.
Padres prob wouldn’t move him but they do have a former top 50 prospect that’s 24 with years of control remaining in Campusano. Campy had a very nice year last year.
Padres could afford to do all this and wouldn’t hurt nearly as much with losing soto.
Guess Shildt is going to meet with Soto in the coming weeks in Florida.
Reports today are that the Padres and Brewers are in deep conversations about Burnes.
Yesterday they were linked to the Marlins with Bowden saying that trading for Luzardo or Garrett is what Preller is looking to do.
Without moving Salas, Merrill, or Snelling the Padres have the prospects to acquire both of those pitchers and they line up well with the needs of those two teams.
Preller will not move off his ask for Soto. No reason for him too. That would add 8 tradable pieces to his arsenal.
A 3 way trade has been mentioned on here that would send Soto and Grisham to the Yankees, Cease and Roberts to the Padres, and metric ton of prospects and players from both the Yankees and the Padres to the White Sox. That seems like a possibility.
A rotation of Musgrove, Darvish, Burnes, Luzardo or Garrett, and Cease would be arguably the best in baseball.
When people try to discount that possibility, I just point to 2021 when the Padres traded for Musgrove, Darvish and Snell. Making those kind of moves is Preller’s M.O.
Where did you hear the burns news. All I’ve seen was the were interested a few days ago.
MLB.com and Twitter.
Soto was not a little better. Soto averaged a higher WAR than any season Robert has ever had.
Soto is a top 10 player in baseball. Robert has averaged 3.5 WAR over the past 3 seasons. He is not remotely in the same class as Soto.
Freaking crazy people. Wtf!
Robert was hurt 2 of the last 3 seasons. When he’s on the field he’s a 5 win player. To say thats who he is because he was hurt is stupid.
Salas is a top 10 prospect that is 17 years old. Roberts is not Soto. They will not get anything close to Salas for Robert.
Robert is a 3.5 WAR player in his career. Injuries have played a role in that under performance and are an issue for him. Even last year he couldn’t shake the injury bug.
Torn hip flexor, groin, wrist, hamstring, and knee. Its not one thing. Its a multitude of issues. He plays hard and its only going to continue.
He has been hurt all 4 seasons and is not on the field. That is the issue. Can’t be a 5 WAR player consistently if you don’t play consistently. To say that he is a 5 WAR player while he has consistently been hurt and hasn’t been able to do that except in one season is stupid.
Buxton is another player like Robert. Supremely talented, but cannot stay healthy.
You are on crack Joel. Robert is a 3.5 WAR player the last 3 seasons.
Robert was hurt in both 2021 and 2022. He’s a 5 win player if he plays a full season. He was a 5 win player in 2023.
Being hurt is not a good thing. Its part of the problem. He is a 3.5 WAR player.
Go on back to BTV. Its where people that have no clue about baseball belong.
For 1 year of SOTO, Get real
Name checks out.
White Sox need to just totally rebuild. I don’t understand for the life of me why these teams can’t see the success of the Astros the Braves the Orioles
are having after having done that for a few years.
White Sox just did it and it was an epic failure. Roberts likely traded next year or year after. You are still going to get an absolute haul for him. You keep him and thread the needle the next two years who knows they could have a shot in the central.
Sox have 4 more years of control if wanted
No team is going to trade what he is currently valued at.
Trade values has him at 77 million. That seems low to me.
May have something to do with his injury history. Also, for as good as he was, he was worth 5.5 fWAR/162 this year, and 5.1fWAR/162 for his career. This was a good year for him, but the breakout was just staying healthy. There’s the chance he could get even better as he enters his prime, but a low walk rate keeps his OBP modest and keeps his value from being as high as his talent could make it.
Yeah he’s had a few injuries and that does matter. Still 4 years of a guy that is right smack in the middle of his physical prime and a 5 win player when healthy is pretty exciting.
Well, you are looking at BTV so of course your comment makes no sense.
Yes I am sure you and your bias is a much better judge of trade value.
He continues to defend BTV even though people have posted a number of the ludicrous trades that the site thinks are ok. He is the king of the crazies.
Talking about your defending the moronic system at BTV.
Even multiple examples of how stupid their trade system is went over your head.
What does that say about your level of knowledge of baseball?
What’s moronic is you can’t understand that salary plays a big role in trade value.
What do you use to try to estimate trade value?
That’s what I thought.
You are off your rocker. 3.5 WAR player. Soto was better. 2.5 years of Soto’s 5.7 WAR is worth more than 4 years of 3.5 WAR.
Now I’m done with you. Have had my fill of your stubborn stupidity.
The Astros, Braves, and Orioles did a tank while it still got them top draft picks. Look at today’s draft lottery for the reason why that won’t work anymore.
That’s the most ridiculous trade suggestion I’ve ever seen on this site, non-Yankees category. If you were trying to be funny, well done.
lol @ “non-yankees category”
ha yeah that was pretty sunny.
Trade values has Robert being worth 77 million. I think that’s extremely low. You get Robert for 4 prime years of a guy who looks like a perennial all star. No decline years and there are even 2 option years in case the unbelievable happens and he falls off a cliff. Probably more like 120 million. And at that price I don’t see who would be both willing and able to make that deal.
Yeah he is a generational talent. They would get something comparable to what the Nationals got for Soto if not more because more control. You can count the number of teams with the blue chip prospect capital and win-now desires on one hand probably. l
Yeah this is 4 years not 2.5. And Soto was well paid the last few years Robert is not going to make that much.
Robert will be 3 years older than Soto was at the time of the Padres trade for him and has never had a season as good as Soto’s 5.7 WAR average at that point.
He is not worth close to what Soto was worth.
The Padres line up well for a trade with the White Sox. They have the prospects. It won’t take any of Salas, Merrill, or Snelling.
Being young doesn’t matter when neither guy is signed for anything but prime years. He’s worth more than Soto was worth for sure. Soto makes over 30 million in 2024 Robert much less.
You Padres fans are delusional. You think your team is going to keep spending but that’s not happening at all.
Says the guy who thinks BTV is even close to reality.
The White Sox are faffing about until the one who shall not be named takes a dirt nap. The next billionaire most certainly will sack the entire FO and start from scratch.
Getz- You trade Robert and you can sign any Little League diamonds to play on next year. Attendance is already going to be low – trade Cease and Robert and no one should come to your games. This is really tough to see from a lifetime White Sox fan.
How about the Diamondbacks
Lawlar
Jones
Troy
For
Robert
Then they trade Alek Thomas for a pitcher. That deal could make sense for both sides.
If I were Getz, I’d have to think about that. Would rather a similar value pitcher over Troy, so maybe a 3rd team could be involved, but I’d buy Lawlar as the headliner going back to Chicago.
Lawlar
Jones
Cecconi
Nelson
The White Sox need as many pitchers as they can get for sure.
Not sure Cecconi or Nelson will be anything. My thought is bring in Pittsburgh, send Troy there (Cruz would then be an OF), they send Solometo and Jared Jones to Chicago, Arizona sends Lawlar and Jones to the Sox, and the Sox send Robert to the D’backs.
That’s too much Pittsburgh wouldn’t do that. One of the pitchers not both. Trade values is underrating Jones and Solometo
Worth a shot. I’d take Solometo if I could get only one of them. Sox need guys who know where the ball is going when it leaves their hand.
Dream On, Getz has already said Robert not getting traded
I’m not buying what Getz says. DBacks could offer McCarthy or Thomas along with Lawler, and a minor league pitcher or position player not named Druw Jones or Tommy Troy. This could be a pretty good deal for both teams to fill some voids.
That’s simply not enough.
Why does every fan of every team overrate their players?
Trade with the Cubs
Horton
Armstrong
Wicks
For
Robert
There are really only a few teams that could possibly even consider this trade.
Joel—you’re right, there are few teams that would consider that trade—-and the Cubs aren’t one of them.
This would really double down on Getz saying he wants to prioritize defense. PCA just doesn’t seem like the hitter Robert is, though his defense is even better. Horton has slightly above average command, so he doesn’t fit in the Sox, lol.
In seriousness, it’s fair as far as value, even slanted a bit in the Sox’ favor, but it’d be hard to give up easily their best offensive player without getting a potential replacement. Sox would be in danger of becoming the Guardians.
Cubs would not consider that trade.
(Pronounces “Robert” like the first name)
Here’s another one
Painter
Abel
Crawford
Rojas
For
Robert
I assume he is posturing. If he trades Cease, then the chances of the WS competing are -0-, and close to -0- even if they keep Cease. Which means Robert only supplies value for two of his four years. More teams really need to consider tanking.
Agreed. Nobody is off-limits. Getz has said as much. Just means he’ll be expensive, and he should be. For his ability, control, and cost, we’re talking a Soto-esque package, maybe even a little more. I hope the Sox do it. The return on him alone could shave a year or two off their rebuild.
What, Ken Rosenthal isn’t trying to will Robert on to the yankees roster by making up trade rumors!?
So he will be traded tomorrow? Or he will play out his contract on a losing team?
4 years if White Sox says so
“One of our goals is to get better defensively and more athletic.”
What part of this suggests that Robert would be moved?
Unless Sox get 2 top prospects maybe even 3 no dice
All this chatter and I haven’t heard a thing about the team that best lines up with them. That would be the Dodgers. The Dodgers need a middle of the order right handed hitter who plays the outfield and they have the prospect capital to get it done. The White Sox need an overhaul and the Dodgers provide the best options to jump start them. LA is loaded with near MLB level pitching prospects, blocked prospects like Vargas and Busch with nothing to prove in the minors, and intriguing prospects like Cartaya and Pages. The Dodgers could give a whole bunch for Robert Jr..