Giants Named Top Fit For Struggling White Sox Slugger

The San Francisco Giants have already added one big name to the offense this year and could bring in another has the Chicago White Sox look to offload a struggling outfielder.

ESPN's Jeff Passan and Kiley McDaniel recently came together for a ranking of the top 50 MLB trade deadline candidates, as well as finding who they fit best with.

The Giants were named among the best fits for White Sox center fielder Luis Robert Jr., who was the No. 19 player available and given a 90% chance to be traded.

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Conversations around trading for Robert right now are way worse off than they were even a year ago.

He started out as a superstar on a team-friendly contract that was in a down year, but sure to turn to things around.

Now, he's viewed as maybe a high-risk, high-reward bench bat that is almost assuredly not going to see his tow $20 million team options picked up.

It is easy to see why someone would want to take that risk, though. If a change of scenery could help him unlock some of that old player, he could be a piece that pushes a team over the edge in the postseason.

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Robert was an All-Star as recently as 2023. He posted a .264/.315/.542 slash line that year with 38 home runs and 20 stolen bases.

He is actually better on the base paths now, 22 stolen bases in 72 games this season, but is worse pretty much everywhere else.

So far this year, he has posted a .185/.270/.313 slash line with eight home runs and 32 RBI. His power is obviously way down and he has an alarming 31.3% strikeout rate.

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The expected numbers are actually a bit higher than they are in actuality, meaning he has been a bit unlucky this year. Still, there is plenty left to be desired.

The 27-year-old still has one of the fastest swings in the sport and is drawing more walks then ever, so maybe a new coaching staff can unlock something with his bat that Chicago isn't.

If San Francisco could get him for fairly cheap, it wouldn't be an awful idea to add him as a potential platoon bat for when they go against southpaws. He still hits well against left-handed pitching.

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Defensively, he remains elite. He uses his speed to his advantage and combines it with a good IQ and a strong arm. He could probably fit anywhere in the outfield, but has only played center field in his career.

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