That's because the White Sox on Tuesday cut ties with Robert, the last significant piece of the failed Rick Hahn rebuild, trading him to the New York Mets for all-purpose player Luisangel Acuna and pitcher Truman Pauley.
The Mets are taking on all $20 million of Robert's 2026 salary, in addition to the 2027 team option for $20 million that includes a $2 million buyout.
Some Sox fans seem unhappy with this light of a return, but the fact is Robert is often injured. He's also been unproductive in each of the past two seasons, and he's also expensive.
Injured, unproductive and expensive: Three strikes and you're out.
Robert was marketed to fans, by Hahn and others, as a future superstar. But aside from the 2023 season, when Robert slugged 38 homers and made his only All-Star team, he was a disappointment.
In fact, that 2023 campaign looks like the outlier, a career year. Here's what Robert has done more recently:
- 2024: .224/.278/.379, 14 homers, 35 RBIs, 23 SBs, 100 games, 1.4 WAR, 86 OPS+
- 2025: .223/.297/.364, 14 homers, 53 RBIs, 33 SBs, 110 games, 1.4 WAR, 85 OPS+
These are not superstar numbers, friends. The most reliable Robert skill is his speed, and even that is fleeting given the amount of time he spends on the injured list with ailments in his legs. There were eight players on the 2025 Sox, a 102-loss team, that accumulated more WAR than Robert did last season.
Strangely, you still hear people talk of Robert's upside and "potential," but this is now a 28-year-old player with six years of experience in the league. He is who he is. Believe your eyes. Believe what you are seeing from this player, not what people have told you to expect from him.
Some people will say, why not keep Robert until the trade deadline? See what he does in the first half, and maybe he can rebuild some trade value.
Well, for starters, that was tried last year. It didn't work. But just for the sake of argument, let's say the Sox keep Robert and he regains his 2023 form. Would that really increase his trade value dramatically?
I say no.
Why? Because rival GMs would be reluctant to give up premium talent for a player with a long track record of injury. Think about it: Are you going to give up top prospects to acquire Robert for a playoff push, knowing full well that he usually finishes every season on the injured list? If you're a contending team, you're looking for someone more reliable, right?
You see, the days of Robert as a premium trade asset are long since past, so Sox GM Chris Getz took what he could get.
I understand the fan frustration with hearing about how this trade creates "financial flexibility" for the Sox. The $20 million Robert contract should not be stopping the Sox from spending. Only in cheap owner Jerry Reinsdorf's world was Robert's money preventing the Sox from going out and improving their team. The anger with that is understandable.
But you cannot be angry with this trade return because, well, Robert isn't worth that much.
Acuna, 23. was once the third-rated prospect in the Mets' system, but he's never gotten a full-time opportunity because he's been blocked by veteran players.
He's played in 109 games over two years with New York, with pedestrian results. His career slash line is .248/.299/.341. He's played mostly infield with the Mets, but he's been playing center field with his team in the Venezuelan winter league.
The guess here is the Sox are going to give Acuna a full-time shot to stick in their outfield. He's only 5-foot-8, so he's undersized for an outfielder, but he does have speed and athleticism.
Pauley, 22, was New York's 12th round pick in the 2025 draft. He pitched 4.1 innings at Single-A last season after finishing his collegiate career at Harvard. I would expect him to begin 2026 in A-ball.
Bellinger back to Yankees
With Robert bound for the Mets, that made one less team in the hunt for free agent outfielder Cody Bellinger, who was the best remaining bat on the market coming into Wednesday.
On Wednesday, Bellinger went back to the Yankees on a five-year, $162 million contract. The deal includes opt-outs after the second and third seasons.
No surprise here. Bellinger was a top priority for the Yankees all offseason, and the two sides finally came to terms.
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