What Juan Soto thinks of White Sox's $50 million trade candidate

New York Mets slugger Juan Soto has his eye on a player for the Chicago White Sox, who deeply impressed him. Soto says that White Sox trade candidate Luis Robert Jr. is one of the most talented players he has seen. Soto worked out with Robert during the winter, along with a hitting coach.

In those workouts Soto says he was amazed by what the White Sox outfielder can do.

“Tremendous baseball player and tremendous athlete,” Soto said, per ESPN. “He showed me a lot of his abilities that I didn’t know he had. That guy has tremendous strength, tremendous power. And he really surprised me a lot in everything we did.”

The White Sox outfielder is considered a strong candidate to be traded by this year’s Major League Baseball trade deadline. He is hitting just .163 though for a struggling Chicago club.

Robert is considered the final piece of a once contending Chicago franchise. He played for the team a few years ago, when the White Sox made the playoffs.

“A player like Luis Robert always gets a lot of attention,” White Sox general manager Chris Getz said. “We’re really happy where he’s at, and how he approached spring training and how he’s performing. We expect him to perform at a very high level.”

Those days as a contender feel long gone for the Chicago club. The White Sox have suffered through back-to-back 100 loss seasons, and it feels like Robert is heading for the exits.

Would the Mets grab Luis Robert Jr.?

What Juan Soto thinks of White Sox's $50 million trade candidate — Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

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If Robert does leave, the question is where would he go? It appears a contending ball club with a lot of money would be a reasonable expectation.

The Mets are having a very strong season, unlike the White Sox. The Mets are also a contender. Soto and infielder Pete Alonso are both hitting well for New York, who have a clear goal to reach the World Series.

One of the Mets’ rivals, the Los Angeles Dodgers, have long been rumored to be wanting Robert. Trade talks between the Dodgers and White Sox apparently fell through in recent days. New York has surely been watching from afar, and may make a move for the outfielder.

Robert has praised Soto, and it appears the two players consider each other friends.

“It’s no secret that one of the reasons why he’s one of the best players in the game is that he’s quite disciplined,” Robert said. “And that’s one of the things I want to improve.”

Time will tell what happens with Robert.