The New York Mets made a whole lot of risky moves over the winter, and none of them have really paid off.
Perhaps the most obvious example is outfielder Luis Robert Jr., whom the Mets acquired from the Chicago White Sox in an offseason trade.
New York was hoping that Robert would solve its outfield problems, and it assumed his $20 million salary for 2026, operating under the assumption that he would stay healthy.
Big mistake.
Robert has played in a grand total of 29 games this season and is slashing just .210/.313/.360 with four home runs and 10 RBI. That follows a 2025 campaign in which he slashed .223/.297/.364 with 14 homers and 53 RBI over 110 games with the White Sox.
Now, with the MLB trade deadline, New York is in all-out selling mode, and there is apparently no player the Mets are more desperate to move than Robert, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today.
“The New York Mets, who made the brutal mistake of believing that center fielder Luis Robert would stay healthy, assuming his entire $20 million contract from the White Sox, now are desperate to dump him. He’s still owed 5.9 million plus another $2 million buyout,” Nightengale wrote.
Robert entered the league with Chicago in 2020 and got off to a hot start, winning a Gold Glove during his rookie campaign. He then batted .338 with a .946 OPS during his second season, and while it was only over 68 games, it was an indication that the White Sox may have landed a future stud.
The Cuban native then made the All-Star team in 2023 after smashing 38 home runs to go along with an .857 OPS. He also played stellar center field defense.
Since then, though, Robert has labored. He batted .224 with a .657 OPS in 2024, appearing in just 100 contests. He then posted nearly identical numbers last year.
For whatever reason, the Mets had no qualms about taking on Robert’s contract, and Chicago couldn’t dump the 28-year-old fast enough.
Now, New York is looking to get whatever it can to get out of paying the remainder of his salary. It should also be noted that Robert has a $20 million club option for 2027, but that will obviously be declined by either the Mets or whoever acquires him before Aug. 3.
We’ll see if New York can find a taker for Robert.
