Mets acquire one-time All-Star center fielder in trade with White Sox
The New York Mets acquired center fielder Luis Robert Jr. in a trade with the Chicago White Sox, the White Sox announced on Tuesday, Jan. 20.
Robert, a 28-year-old from Cuba, was an All-Star in 2023 and that same season won a Silver Slugger Award. He won a Gold Glove Award in 2020.
During six major-league seasons, all with the White Sox, Robert has batted .259 with 102 home runs and 298 RBIs.
Robert’s breakthrough season came in 2023, when he hit 38 home runs, and had 80 RBIs and 90 runs scored. But he has hit no more than 14 homers in any of his five other seasons. And in 2025, he batted .223 with 14 home runs.
In exchange for Robert, the White Sox acquired Luisangel Acuña, a 23-year-old infielder from Venezuela, and Truman Pauley, a right-handed pitcher who played for Harvard and was a 12th-round pick of the Mets in the 2025 MLB Draft.
Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported that the Mets are taking on Robert’s entire $20 million salary, plus a $2 million buyout or a $20 million option for 2027.
Acuña made news last week in Venezuelan Winter League when he hit four home runs in a single game. He’d hit only three home runs in 214 at-bats over the past two seasons with the Mets.
