MLB rumors: Luis Robert's contract caveat mentioned amid trade possibility

The Chicago White Sox are once again looking to trade Luis Robert Jr. at the deadline. When the team tried to move Robert last year the fact that he’s under club control through the 2027 season was viewed as a selling point. In 2025, the struggling center fielder’s contract, which includes team options for the next two seasons, is less appealing.

But Robert’s $20 million club option for 2026 is not an impediment to a potential deal according to MLB insider Ken Rosenthal. “He can’t demand them to pick up an option, and teams would laugh at him if he did that anyway,” Rosenthal said per Foul Territory.

“I would expect that if he gets traded, the team that acquires him will be operating under the premise that they’re not picking up the option. Now, maybe he goes nuts in the final two months and you say, ‘You know what? I’ll take him for $20 million next year.’ But what are the odds of that? I don’t think they’re very high,” Rosenthal added.

Can the White Sox find a buyer for Luis Robert Jr. in 2025?

MLB rumors: Luis Robert's contract caveat mentioned amid trade possibility — Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

Robert’s decline, from an All-Star who finished 12th in MVP voting in 2023 to an offensive liability who’s dropped below the Mendoza Line in 2025, has been as sharp as it is mysterious.

Once viewed as the future of the White Sox after winning a Gold Glove and finishing second in Rookie of the Year voting in 2020, Robert has fallen off dramatically. Injuries have played a role. The sixth-year veteran missed 62 games last year and he spent some time on the IL this season with a left hamstring strain.

However, when he’s been healthy enough to play, he’s failed to produce. Robert hit .264 with a .857 OPS and 130 OPS+ in 2023. He had 38 home runs and 5.3 bWAR in 145 games for the White Sox that season.

This year Robert is hitting .190 with a .599 OPS and an ugly 67 OPS+. After 79 games he has 0.0 bWAR. The drop off has been so severe that even Robert believes teams won’t want him in a trade.

Still, there is some interest in the 27-year-old outfielder as some GMs believe a change of scenery could revive Robert’s career. Several teams have checked in with the White Sox, including the Mets and the Phillies, who are fighting for control of the NL East. If the White Sox do manage to move Robert, he’ll be viewed as a rental for the remainder of 2025.