Potential Phillies Trade Target Shares Reaction to Staying with Current Team

The Philadelphia Phillies have long been connected to a superstar outfielder, who just shared his earnest reaction to still being his current team.

Sep 29, 2024; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Chicago White Sox center fielder Luis Robert Jr. (88) receives congratulations from teammates after scoring in the seventh inning against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. | Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

The Philadelphia Phillies have often been connected to a superstar outfielder, who has still yet to be moved.

It has been shocking to many that the Chicago White Sox have yet to trade Luis Robert Jr., as they are early in a rebuild. Robert himself is a bit surprised, too.

Kyle Williams of Chicago Sun-Times recently asked the star about the fact that he was still on the team and Robert was earnest.

"Honestly, no. I know there were a lot of rumors around there and I didn’t think I would be here. But I’m glad that I’m here," said the outfielder.

The White Sox already traded away one of their top young stars in Garret Crochet for a haul of prospects, which pushes their timeline even further into the future.

Now, there isn't much reason to keep Robert around. He will get them a fair amount on the market and they aren't going to be a competitive team anytime soon, so they might as well get as much as they can.

Perhaps they are waiting for the 27-year-old to get another shot at being healthy before making the move.

Last year, he was not at his full capacity and it showed. He posted just a .224/.278/.379 slash line with just 14 home runs and an OPS+ of 87. He did actually set a career-high in stolen bases with 23, though.

That could not have helped in trade negotiations, even though most teams know that isn't the type of player that Robert is.

Back in 2023, he slashed .264/.315/.542 with 38 home runs, 20 stolen bases and a 130 OPS+. That is the reason he is so coveted in the first place.

Robert looks to be closer to that player again after a strong spring. He had .300/.386/.580 slash line with four home runs.

If he can keep that going into the regular season, playing on an uncompetitive team, that price will certainly go back up. Likely enough for Chicago to actually trade him.

There is no reason that the Phillies shouldn't be one of the first teams to pick up the phone and offer as much as they can to get Robert on their team.

Philadelphia's World Series window is not getting any smaller as their stars get further onto the wrong side of 30.

The White Sox star would immediately be their best outfielder and has team options that carry him through 2027 at a solid price.

It is time for the Phillies to actually pull the trigger on trading away some of their farm in order to grab a player that is capable of helping them finally win another ring.