After a year-and-a-half of decline, center fielder Luis Robert Jr. of the Chicago White Sox offered a brutally honest evaluation of his trade value.
On Tuesday, Robert, who is hitting just.186/.281/.308 with five home runs and an OPS+ of 70, told reporters, including Scott Merkin of MLB.com, that he doesn’t understand why any team would want to sign him before the deadline.
Through the team interpreter, Robert stated, “As my season is going, I don’t think anybody is going to take a chance on me right now.” “I simply concentrate on trying to improve. There is nothing else that comes to mind.
Over the past two seasons, Robert’s performance has drastically decreased. He made his first appearance on the All-Star team in 2023, hitting.264/.315/.542 with 38 home runs, 36 doubles, and an OPS+ of 130.
But in 2024, when he played 100 games due to injuries, his numbers drastically declined: he had a.224/.278/.379 slash line, 14 home runs, 19 doubles, and an OPS+ of 86. This year, his performance has been worse.
Merkin was informed by Robert that he is attempting to regain his All-Star status.
Every day, I strive to be that player. I do everything in my power to be that player. “I can’t control it if the results aren’t there at the end of the day,” Robert stated.
“Everyone here puts in a lot of effort to achieve the outcomes each day. You definitely feel a little depressed when you put in a lot of effort and the results aren’t there.
Robert is leading MLB in stolen bases (17), playing defense of Gold Glove caliber, and displaying better plate discipline despite his offensive difficulties. He is chasing strikes out of the zone just 29% of the time and walking 11.7% of the time, both of which are career highs.
“I’ve been trying to take advantage of the opportunities that are on the bases and just stealing a lot of bases because I have that ability,” Robert explained. “With my recent season at the plate, there haven’t been many times when I’ve been able to accomplish that.
However, I enjoy doing that, and as I mentioned before, I make an effort to support my team in any way I can.
Despite his dismal 2024 season, Robert was considered a top trade candidate at the beginning of the year. He has $20 million in team options for 2026 and 2027 as part of his contract. It would be obvious for playoff teams to trade for Robert if he were playing like he did in 2023, but now that the White Sox have held onto him for too long, he seems to be a lost cost.
Leave a Reply