The exchange finally occurred. The young outfielder who was selected to the All-Star Game in 2023 was traded for two prospects, adding to an intriguing White Sox reserve. As for the Mets? They got their left fielder with the position vacated by transfer Brandon Nimmo.
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As usual, we’ll deliver some trade ratings for each side of this, along with the details. Let’s dig deeper:
Details of the trade between Mets and White Sox
The Mets get: FROM Luis Robert Jr.
The White Sox get: 2B Luisángel Acuña and RHP Truman Pauley
Mets Trade Grade
This is pretty simple: the Mets needed a left fielder and have a glut of infielders. Acuña, the younger brother of Ronald Acuña, proved to be a good bench infielder with speed and defense. Even if he has a big year in his future, the Mets didn’t need him.
Robert is a change of scenery project. He hit 38 home runs in 2023, but hit a total of 28 in his final two seasons. It was time for him to be traded, and the Mets hoped they could return him to the player he was that year. It didn’t cost them much even though accepting Robert’s $20 million contract this season is part of the deal. Owner Steve Cohen can afford it! GRADE: A-
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White Sox Trade Grade
The mission here is to continue increasing prospects and get rid of any unnecessary salaries. Done and done. Robert needed to change zip codes, and Acuña is intriguing in a variety of ways, including the fact that he has been taking the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League by storm while playing this winter.
Pauley is a pitcher who was drafted in the 12th round, so we’ll see if he has success. The other big win here is getting the Mets to pay Robert’s full salary. I’m not sure how much more the White Sox could have gotten given how much he has left on his contract. Good work all around. GRADE: A-
This article originally appeared in For The Win: Luis Robert Jr. changes ratings due to agreement between Mets and White Sox