The trade deadline has nearly arrived, and the New York Mets still have a big question mark in center field.
No offense intended to Tyrone Taylor, who was a good trade acquisition by the Mets two offseasons ago. But New York doesn’t currently have a starting caliber center fielder with the ability to impact the game on both sides of the ball.
There’s one main name atop the list of center fielders who could be traded, and the Mets appear to be a fit. But it’s certainly a risky idea.
Chicago White Sox center fielder Luis Robert Jr. has had two bad seasons in a row, distancing himself from his brilliant All-Star campaign in 2023. But he’s coming to the end of a six-year, $50 million extension, so the White Sox are likely to move him without asking for a huge return.
On Sunday, Just Baseball’s Jay Staph and Ryan Finkelstein predicted that the Mets would acquire Robert by Thursday’s deadline, and projected that outfielder Drew Gilbert would be the return headed to Chicago in the deal.
“(Robert) is a good flier to take, because worst-case scenario, they can platoon (him) with (Jeff) McNeil in center field. Best case, you get something closer to what we saw in 2023, and Robert becomes a real difference-maker down the stretch,” wrote Finkelstein and Staph.
“The Mets can send a prospect the White Sox way, and still one that is close enough to the big leagues that Chicago can get excited.”
Robert, 27, was swinging a hot bat until missing a few games recently with adductor soreness. But he returned to the lineup on Sunday, so at least the Mets would know he’s healthy.
The real question is whether or not Gilbert would be accepted as the return, as USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reported recently that the White Sox were holding firm on their ask for third baseman Mark Vientos in a potential Robert deal.
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