Phillies Pushed to Trade for $20 Million White Sox All-Star

By Jackson Roberts

Contributing Sports Writer

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The Philadelphia Phillies have allowed their outfield to lag behind the rest of the roster for far too long.

For the last two seasons, the Phillies have been unable to find a true starting center fielder, and the corners haven't put up solid offensive stats, either. The only acquisitions they've made have been short-term pickups: Harrison Bader, who was good for a brief stint, and Austin Hays and Max Kepler, who were not.

At first glance, there isn't a primary center fielder available this winter, either in free agency or via trade, who projects as a major upgrade for Philadelphia. But one baseball write believes now is the time to take a risk.

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On Wednesday, ESPN's Jesse Rogers urged the Phillies to acquire Chicago White Sox center fielder Luis Robert Jr., who had his $20 million club option for the upcoming season picked up despite back-to-back brutally disappointing campaigns following his lone All-Star appearance in 2023.

"(It's) time for Robert to find a new home and time for the Phillies to mix up the vibe a little," wrote Rogers. "It's possible that last season proved to be Robert's current floor -- good defense and 33 stolen bases will help teams win games. But it's also just as possible the ceiling is still within reach after years of underachieving.

"Put (Robert) in a good lineup with even better pitches to see -- and perhaps a little more pressure to perform -- and the Philles could just get the best version of him. He has hit (38) homers in a season. He hit .338 in another (partial year). Put it all together, and he might turn into a steal."

It's true that despite an OPS+ of 85 over the past two seasons, Robert has put up 2.8 bWAR in 220 games. That's far from good, but it's passable if the defense is truly contributing to wins. And playing games that mean nothing in the standings for three straight seasons has to wear on a player after a while.

Still, one would figure the Phillies would ask Chicago to eat some of the contract, and even then, banking on a player who's struggled offensively for this long to suddenly revert to an All-Star pass is a very real risk.

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