The New York Mets have opened the 2025 season with a strong 18-7 record. While key players like Francisco Lindor, Juan Soto, and Pete Alonso have helped cover up some of the team’s weaknesses, the Mets may soon look to make moves to address lingering issues—particularly in center field. Although they’re expecting to get some injured pitchers back later on, the outfield remains a concern.
Tyrone Taylor and Jose Siri have both underperformed early in the season, prompting Bleacher Report’s Kerry Miller to suggest that the Mets could be a perfect trade destination for Luis Robert Jr. of the Chicago White Sox. “FanGraphs gives both Taylor and Siri negative marks for both offense and defense in center field, combining for -0.4 fWAR,” Miller wrote. “Baseball Reference is a bit kinder at -0.1 bWAR, but it’s still clear the current setup isn’t working. Bringing in Robert could be the missing piece this season—and with his club option, possibly next year too.”
Robert, who signed a six-year, $50 million extension in 2020, has team options for 2026 and 2027. The struggling White Sox are likely to be sellers at the trade deadline, and Robert is expected to draw significant interest. Even he was surprised to still be with Chicago on Opening Day. “Honestly, no,” Robert told Chris Emma of 670 The Score when asked if he thought he’d still be with the team. “There were so many rumors—I didn’t expect to be here.”
Though he’s off to a slow start in 2025, Robert has shown he can be a star when healthy. He made his first All-Star team in 2023 and has the potential to hit 40 home runs in a season, even though he also struggled during the early part of that breakout year.
