Inside The Mets

Insider pours cold water on Mets' Luis Robert Jr. trade interest

There are conflicting reports about whether the New York Mets are interested in trading for Luis Robert Jr. right now.
May 5, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA;  Chicago White Sox center fielder Luis Robert Jr. (88) at bat in the first inning against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter Aiken-Imagn Images
May 5, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Chicago White Sox center fielder Luis Robert Jr. (88) at bat in the first inning against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter Aiken-Imagn Images | Peter Aiken-Imagn Images

In a May 11 articleUSA Today's MLB insider Bob Nightengale asserted that the New York Mets were showing interest in trading for Chicago White Sox outfielder Luis Robert Jr.

"The Chicago White Sox finally are starting to get some inquiries on center fielder Luis Robert with the New York Mets recently among the teams checking in and showing interest. The White Sox are eying 23-year-old Mets starting prospect Blake Tidwell as part of a package in return," Nightengale wrote.

However, it doesn't seem that every MLB insider agrees with Nightengale's report, as the New York Post's Jon Heyman shut this rumor down during a recent episode of his live show on Bleacher Report.

"The rumor is that the Mets have some interest [in Robert Jr.]. I'll say this: The Mets have checked in in the past on Luis Robert... But right now, he's hitting .179, so there is nothing hot going on with Luis Robert," Heyman said. "I didn't even have to make a call to know that. But I did make a call, and I was told there's nothing hot going on with Luis Robert.

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"He's got to get hotter before anything heats up on the trade front," Heyman added. "So I don't see any trade materializing for Luis Robert at the moment. Certainly, at the deadline, if he gets that OPS over .700... Mets have had interest in the past. That's a team the White Sox have their eye on, more than the Mets are looking at Robert. I do think [the Mets] can live with defense in center."

Heyman later added, "At this moment I think [a Robert Jr. trade] is close to a salary dump... He's going to have to get that average up to .240, he's going to have to get the OPS well over .700, and then he'll have a value."

If Heyman's sentiment is accurate, the Mets won't be pursuing Robert Jr. anytime soon.

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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers the New York Mets and Women’s Basketball for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco, where he also played Division 1 baseball for five years. He believes Mark Teixeira should have been a first ballot MLB Hall of Fame inductee.