On Tuesday night, the Chicago White Sox traded former All-Star outfielder Luis Robert Jr. to the New York Mets for Luisangel Acuna, brother of Ronald Acuna Jr., and right-handed pitcher Truman Pauley.
The Mets are also reportedly paying all of Robert Jr’s salary, which is $20 million for the upcoming 2026 season.
As much as a lot of Reds fans wanted Robert, it would have been a hefty price to pay. Let’s take a look at some of the prospects the Reds have that are valued around the same as Acuna.
- Cam Collier
- Aaron Watson
- Stharlin Torres
- Ricardo Cabrera
- Hector Rodriguez
And in reality, the Reds were never going to pay the remaining $20 million left on Robert’s contract, which means they most likely would have had to give up even more than the Mets did.
Over the last two seasons, Robert Jr. has slashed .224/.278/.379 and .223/.297/.364.
While the fans understandably want more offense, trading a top prospect for a player who hasn’t had an OPS over .660 since 2023 and is still owed $20 million isn’t a smart move.
Robert Jr. could go on to have a great season in New York, but the Reds were never going to pony up this kind of package to get him to Cincinnati.
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