With the Los Angeles Dodgers and Teoscar Hernández seemingly at a stalemate in negotiations, they have reportedly begun to consider other right-handed hitting position players.
According to a recent report, the team has expressed interest in San Diego Padres free agent Ha-Seong Kim, Chicago White Sox center fielder Luis Robert Jr. and Seiya Suzuki of the Chicago Cubs.
Robert has been linked to the Dodgers on several occasions, including last offseason and at this year’s trade deadline. With Chicago already moving Garrett Crochet, they may be more open to trading the 27-year-old before the start of the 2025 season.
The White Sox aren’t expecting to get back multiple top prospects for Robert, but reportedly want at least one significant player in return, per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic:
For Robert, the White Sox do not expect to receive multiple top prospects, but would want a “meaningful piece” in return, a source said.
The reported asking price indicates that the White Sox have come down on their demands for Robert. Chicago was seeking a “significant return” at this year’s trade deadline, with one report suggesting they wanted a similar package to the one the Washington Nationals received from the Padres for Juan Soto in 2022.
That likely would have required the Dodgers to give up some combination of Gavin Stone, Dalton Rushing, River Ryan and Andy Pages. However, it is now reasonable to think L.A. could acquire Robert at a fraction of that cost.
Robert is under team control for three more years. He is due to receive a $15 million salary in 2025, with $20 million team options for the following two years.
Luis Robert Jr.’s MLB stats
The White Sox signed Robert to a six-year, $50 million contract prior to the 2020 season. He is coming off his worst year in the Majors as he batted just .224/.278/.379 with 19 doubles, 14 home runs, 35 RBI and 23 stolen bases across 100 games.
However, Robert is only one year removed from an All-Star campaign in 2023 that saw him post an .857 on-base plus slugging percentage with a career-high 36 doubles and 38 home runs.
Over parts of five MLB seasons, Robert has hit .267/.316/.474 with 103 doubles, 88 home runs and 245 RBI in 467 games.
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