White Sox Sweetening Deal for Long-Rumored Phillies Trade Target

The saga surrounding the Philadelphia Phillies and Chicago White Sox when it comes to their slugging center fielder is something that just keeps on going.

For a while, Luis Robert Jr. has been seen as a perfect fit for the Phillies, giving them an everyday player in center who has high upside with the bat in his hands while also having a Gold Glove Award to his name.

However, nothing materialized.

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The White Sox were playing hard ball with just about every team around the league when it came to their most desirable assets, hoping someone would budge and meet their borderline ridiculous asking prices.

The San Diego Padres did for Dylan Cease and the Boston Red Sox did for Garrett Crochet, but those two had performed like elite starting pitchers at some point in their careers, making it easier for those franchises to talk themselves into shipping out the types of trade packages they gave up to get them.

But when it comes to Robert, he doesn't have that history.

While he blasted 38 home runs in 2023 and won a Silver Slugger Award, he hasn't come anywhere near hitting even 20 long balls in a single season since.

That same year he drove in 80 runs, but outside of that season, he has only had 40 or more RBI twice in his six-year career.

What's most concerning, though, is that his OPS+ figures have gone from being above the league average of 100 every season since he was runner-up in the AL Rookie of the Year race in 2020 to finishing last season with a figure of 85 and putting up a 65 so far this year.

All of that is to say, it was easy to see why Philadelphia balked at the previous asking price.

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However, it seems like the tide is turning when it comes to Chicago's mentality.

According to Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon of The Athletic (subscription required), "the White Sox are open to including cash in trades" that feature Robert and fellow outfielder Andrew Benintendi.

While that might sound great on the surface, money is not what held the Phillies back from making this deal; it was the prospects that were being asked in return.

Sure, getting some sort of relief on the $15 million salary he has for the rest of this year and the two $20 million club options he has for 2026 and 2027 wouldn't be turned down by Dave Dombrowski or owner John Middleton. But the front office would much more prefer to land Robert without giving up some of their best minor leaguers.

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Offering cash relief could be a way for the White Sox to still keep their prospect asking price high so they can maximize their return, eating the financial pain of not having Robert on their roster while still getting key pieces back for their rebuild.

If that's the case, then Philadelphia probably isn't any closer to striking a deal for the high-upside slugger, even if it's becoming more and more clear that another outfielder might be needed.

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