The New York Mets are one of the more talented teams in the game this season, but they still have some clear holes on their roster.
In particular, the Mets could look to upgrade their outfield ahead of the trade deadline. Fortunately for them, there are a few intriguing names expected to be on the market in the coming weeks.
Sports Illustrated’s Nicholas Selbe recently predicted the Mets would swing a blockbuster trade to acquire Chicago White Sox outfielder Luis Robert Jr. this season.
“Robert’s production at the plate has rapidly diminished since winning a Silver Slugger in 2023 to the point where he’s currently valued as a replacement-level player even with his stellar baserunning and glove work in center field,” Selbe wrote. “A pair of $20 million club options for 2026 and ’27 that were once seen as potential bargains are now highly unlikely to be exercised.
“His walk rate (10.2%) and chase rate (32.7%) are at career-high points, indicating an improvement in his plate discipline, but his abysmal squared-up rate (17.9%, second percentile in MLB) indicates there’s work for him to do to be a plus on offense. The White Sox don’t have much to gain by holding onto Robert, but it’s hard to tell if their valuation on him will come down enough by the deadline for another team to take a swing on the 27-year-old.”
Obviously, trading for Robert would be a risk at this point. He’s been consistently below average for the last two seasons, and it’s hard to imagine he’ll ever return to his 2023 form.
But with him coming with multiple years of affordable team control, it’s a risk worth taking for the Mets. If they can help Robert return to the guy he was with an OPS well north of .800, they could be landing a steal.
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