Last season, the Reds were among the teams to be matched Luis Robert Jr. in trade negotiations. The White Sox surprisingly held on to their center fielder last winter and beyond the trade deadline. They were satisfied to keep him in 2026 but they were not closed with the talk.
Bob Nightengale of USA Today and Gordon Wittenmyer of the Cincinnati Enquirer each report that the Reds have resumed talks with the Sox. Nightengale also lists the Mets as a possibility. Robert was loosely tied with Pittsburgh, San Diego and Philadelphia in points throughout the season.
The Reds have yet to improve on the 14th-ranked program in scoring despite playing half of their games at Great American Ball Park. Their adjusted offense at the park was eight percent below the league average. That tied them with the Angels and Rangers for fifth-worst in MLB. Cincinnati rushed there Kyle Schwarber but he reportedly viewed the Ohio native as an exceptional free agent. There is no indication they will part with the $25MM annual salary they gave Schwarber elsewhere in the free agent market.
Robert will earn $20MM next season. Wittenmyer writes that the White Sox may be willing to eat about half of that salary to facilitate a trade. There is an option for the same club for the 2027 campaign. It appears that Chicago is willing to pay the portion of the contract that will be conditional on receiving a manageable package of talent of their choice. Robert is not a salary dump. If the Sox considered him a bad value asset, they would have bought him out for $2MM at the start of the winter.
Cincinnati has a quality center fielder in TJ Friedl. They don’t have an everyday option in lefty, where Friedl’s below-average arm strength would be less of a concern. Robert would improve the outside defense, though it’s not clear if he’s a consistent hitter to be the marquee player of Cincinnati’s offseason. He’s been a below-average hitter since his 38-homer campaign two years ago. Robert owns a .223/.288/.372 batting line with a nearly 30% slugging average in 856 plate appearances since the start of 2024. He looked like he was turning the corner in the second half of ’25 but suffered a season-ending hamstring strain in August.
The Mets have a clear need in center field. Tyrone Taylor projects as a starter despite hitting .223/.279/.319 in 341 plate appearances this past season. High hopes Carson Benge coming up but struggled in his first 24 Triple-A contests after making it to Double-A. He may start the year young. The left field is open following the Brandon Nimmo again Jeff McNeil trade.
New York will likely add an outfielder. Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon of The Athletic write that they are looking to add a right-handed bat somewhere on the roster. Robert is eligible and is coming off a solid season against left-handed pitching. He was terrible against southpaws in 2024 but faced them every other season and has a lifetime .293/.367/.505 slash with team advantage.
