The Braves must add offense at the trade deadline if they want to be relevant come October. The lineup was already treading water with Ronald Acuña Jr. Now that the reining NL MVP is out for the season, it has looked that much more abysmal. Serious changes need to be made, whether it be multiple guys or one star, and the top name that is expected to be available is Luis Robert Jr.
Multiple MLB insiders, from Jeff Passan to Bob Nightengale, have reported the White Sox will make Robert available ahead of the trade deadline. With Bob Nightengale even reporting that Chicago is already exploring trade packages for the star outfielder. The Braves are likely to be one of several teams in the mix; however, the asking price may be far too high.
Per Bob Nightengale, the White Sox are looking for a trade package that is more enticing than what the Washington Nationals got for Juan Soto a couple of years ago.
“The White Sox are listening to offers on anybody and everybody, including center fielder Luis Robert, who’s under contract through 2027, and owed about $61 million if his two club options are picked up,” Nightengale writes for USA Today Sports. “The White Sox would command a package greater than what the Padres gave up for Juan Soto at the 2022 deadline.”
Luis Robert is a unique talent that can change games in so many ways and is coming off a career year in which he hit 38 homers with an .857 OPS. Drop him into a competitive lineup, and he can change the direction of an entire organization. He’s also under team control through 2027 at a very affordable rate, owed $12.5 million this season, $15 million in 2025, with a $20 million team option for 2026 and 2027. That’s pennies for a talent like Luis Robert Jr.
When Juan Soto was traded to the San Diego Padres, he had a year-and-a-half left on his contract. Robert is not in the same class as Soto, who is a top-five player in baseball, but the three-and-a-half years of team control could warrant a similar package as the Nationals received from the Padres, which included MacKenzie Gore, James Wood, C.J. Abrams, Robert Hassell III and Jarlin Susana.
If that’s the prospect haul the White Sox are looking for, count the Braves out of the negotiations. Atlanta just saw what a couple of those players are capable of over the last couple of weeks. MacKenzie Gore is a fantastic young pitcher with a high ceiling. C.J. Abrams is blossoming into one of the better shortstops in the league, and James Wood might be the best prospect in baseball right now.
The Braves don’t have the firepower in their farm system to even compete with an offer like that. Combine that with Luis Robert Jr.’s injury history, and I have a difficult time seeing a deal coming to fruition.
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Photo: John Adams/Icon Sportswire
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