Padres Submitted Claim For Luis Robert Jr.

The Orioles weren’t the only suitor for Luis Robert Jr. when he hit the waiver wire last week. The Padres also submitted a claim for the outfielder, per Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune. Baltimore was higher on the waiver priority list, given its worse record, so Robert became an Oriole.

The Padres have Fernando Tatis Jr. and Jackson Merrill locked into two outfield spots. An opening emerged over the weekend that could’ve sparked an interest in Robert. San Diego lost Gavin Sheets to a foot sprain and Luis Rengifo to a torn ACL. It’s unclear how long Sheets will be sidelined. Rengifo is obviously done for the year.

Robert was heating up at the right time. He delivered an .841 OPS in August. After hitting just four home runs through July, Robert went deep six times last month. It was enough to get the Orioles to pick up the roughly $3MM left on his $20MM salary for the rest of this season. Baltimore will also owe Robert a $2MM buyout on his club option for 2027, assuming the team declines it.

The financial considerations might be the most intriguing aspect of San Diego’s interest. Sure, Robert would’ve been an upgrade over Samad Taylor and Dustin Harris in left field, but his acquisition could’ve hinted at the club’s approach under new ownership. A group led by José E. Feliciano and Kwanza Jones received approval from the other owners in mid-August to take over the organization. Acee notes that Feliciano and Jones were on board with taking on Robert’s remaining money.

San Diego has run a payroll comfortably over $200K the past two seasons, per our Payroll Tracker. That number briefly dipped below $200K in 2024 as the organization looked to cut costs, but it’s been relatively high for most of the 2020s. While $5MM for Robert isn’t anything like the megadeals handed out to Xander Bogaerts and Manny Machado, it’s a small indication that the new owners will continue to spend.

Robert is debuting with Baltimore today. He’s batting fourth and playing left field against the Rockies. He came through with a two-run double in his second at-bat with his new team. Robert should earn regular reps in an outfield mix that hasn’t had many consistent contributors this year, outside of Taylor Ward, who was moved at the trade deadline.

If the Orioles decline Robert’s $20MM option, he’ll join a group of free agent outfielders that includes Randy Arozarena, Seiya Suzuki, and Ward. Robert will be entering his age-29 season. He hasn’t been better than league average at the plate since 2023 with the White Sox. It’ll be interesting to see how his market develops, especially considering the other right-handed hitting outfielders on the market.