The Chicago White Sox came into the offseason with two major trade chips: Garrett Crochet and Luis Robert Jr.
Crochet was traded earlier this offseason for a huge haul in return from the Boston Red Sox. But Robert remains a member of the White Sox.
This will likely change in the coming months, though.
Bleacher Report’s Kerry Miller recently predicted the White Sox would trade Robert to the Houston Astros before the end of the season.
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“Amid a rebuilding project that still mostly just resembles a massive hole in the ground, the Chicago White Sox had two obvious goals for this winter: Get a nice platter of prospects for Garrett Crochet and get something beyond salary relief in exchange for Luis Robert Jr,” Miller wrote. “Whether they got enough in return for Crochet probably will be open to debate for a couple of years, but they accomplished one of those goals back in mid-December.
“Still waiting on that second goal, though. Considering arguably the best center fielder available in free agency this winter was Harrison Bader, it’s surprising that the White Sox have yet to receive a good enough offer to move Robert.”
Houston was able to trade Kyle Tucker to the Chicago Cubs and stay among the league’s best rosters. This Tucker trade gave Houston the pieces to win in the future, while it already had a loaded roster to win now.
Acquiring Robert makes a lot of sense for Houston. He would be replacing the lost production in centerfield, although Tucker is much better offensively than Robert.
Still, if Robert can return to the player he was a few years ago, the Astros would be landing an All-Star outfielder with 40 home run potential. It wouldn’t be a cheap trade, but it could prove worth it.
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