Pros and Cons: Should the Mets trade for Luis Robert Jr.?

This offseason’s message from the Mets has been largely built around run prevention.

And since David Stearns has been with the organization, center field has been the spot that he’s prioritized defense the most.

In 2024, he acquired Tyrone Taylor from the Brewers and signed Harrison Bader as a free agent — that worked out well as the Mets made a run to the NLCS.

In 2025, Bader left as a free agent and the Mets attempted to acquire a similar defense-first type of player in Jose Siri from Tampa Bay. That did not work out. He was injured for most of the year and ended up getting DFA’d before the season ended.

Now, there is another opportunity to pursue run prevention in center — a potential trade for 28-year old White Sox center fielder Luis Robert Jr.

If you look him up on Baseball Reference, the stat line will leave plenty to be desired. He slashed .223/.297/.364 (.661 OPS) with 14 home runs, 53 RBI and 33 stolen bases in 2025. However, there is more under the hood that has Robert as a very intriguing buy-low option.

From a contractual standpoint, Robert is owed $20 million in 2026 with a $20 million club option for 2027. He would be a true year-to-year proposition.

Here are the pros and cons of trading for Robert…

PROS

Robert is an excellent athlete and has all the tools to be a special player.

In 2023 at 25-years old, Robert posted an .857 OPS with 38 home runs and looked the part of a future MVP candidate.

While he has not replicated that offensive success since, there were some intriguing things in the advanced statistics that suggest there are better offensive days ahead for the still-in-his-prime center fielder.

His 2025 season began to take a turn offensively when the calendar flipped to July, and that led to him being considered a prime trade deadline candidate. The Mets were among the teams in conversations with the White Sox, but they ultimately decided to keep Robert.

Robert hit .293/.349/.459 (.808 OPS) with six home runs, 21 RBI and 11 stolen bases from July 8 until his season ended in late-August due to a hamstring strain

Robert has the raw power you are looking for, with a max exit velocity of 115.8 mph in 2025. He also possesses elite bat speed in the 92nd percentile. His 26 percent strikeout rate is certainly below average, but he trimmed it significantly from 33 percent in 2024. Robert also posted a career best 9.3 walk percentage, which is an above average number in the 62nd percentile.

What’s clear is Robert had a better approach at the plate in 2025 with perhaps some bad luck mixed in, as evidenced by a .250 expected batting average. It just did not end up showing in his end of season numbers.

Robert’s defense and speed help raise his floor as a player. He is a plus defender in center, rating at +7 OAA in range, which ranked in the 93rd percentile. His arm is more above average than plus, but it plays in center field.

From a speed standpoint, his sprint speed has made incremental growth each of the last four seasons, with his career best of 29 feet per second in 2025, which ranked in the 90th percentile.

CONS

While the advanced numbers suggest some bad luck for Robert, the reality is that he has OPS’ of .661 and .657 the last two seasons. Even if there is belief in a bounce back, that’s two consecutive seasons of offensive numbers that would not be ideal in an everyday lineup for a contender.

Another issue that Robert has missed significant time with injury every season of his big league career except for his breakout 2023, when he played 145 games.

Over the last two seasons he played in just 210 of 324 possible games. He also played under 100 games in both 2021 and 2022. Is he a player the Mets can rely on to take the field every day?

Robert also might block a prospect like Carson Benge or Jett Williams from getting an opportunity in center in 2026.

If the Mets were to acquire someone like Robert, it would be with the idea that he is their center fielder if he is healthy. That does go against Stearns’ idea that they must leave room for young players to make an impact on the big league roster.

VERDICT

Since July, I have been openly in favor of acquiring Robert. The price won’t be cheap, but it also won’t be exorbitant. I don’t think the Mets would have to part with any of their very top prospects in a deal.

The White Sox could have interest in one of the Mets’ potentially surplus major league infielders such as Mark Vientos, Ronny Mauricio or Luisangel Acuña. If the Mets could land Robert for one of those and a mid-level prospect, that could be considered a risk worth taking.

However, Stearns’ comments at the GM meetings about Benge having the opportunity to compete for a job out of spring training has changed the dynamic.

He said at his end-of-season news conference that he needed to be more aggressive. At the time, that was considered to be talking about calling up young pitchers like Nolan McLean, Brandon Sproat or Jonah Tong earlier than he did.

He may have meant being more aggressive with prospects in general, which has become more of the norm in baseball over the last couple of years.

Benge was on the fast track, making it to Triple-A in his first professional season after being a first round pick. If the Mets are planning to have Benge compete for center field out of camp, getting Robert — or really any other full-time locked-in center fielder — does not make a lot of sense. They’d be better suited using their assets to acquire pitching or help at a different position on the diamond.