Chicago White Sox, Cincinnati Reds Discussed Luis Robert Jr. Trade Before Talks Broke Down

The Cincinnati Reds were reportedly trying to acquire All-Star outfielder Luis Robert Jr. from the Chicago White Sox, but they pivoted to free agent Austin Hays when the two sides couldn't agree on terms.
Sep 3, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA;  Chicago White Sox outfielder Luis Robert Jr. (88) squats by the on-deck circle before a first inning at-bat against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards.
Sep 3, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Chicago White Sox outfielder Luis Robert Jr. (88) squats by the on-deck circle before a first inning at-bat against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. / Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

The Cincinnati Reds rounded out their outfield by signing veteran Austin Hays on Tuesday.

Before they agreed to terms with Hays, though, the Reds' front office was winding up for an even bigger swing.

The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon reported Thursday morning that Cincinnati was deep in trade talks with the Chicago White Sox regarding outfielder Luis Robert Jr. up through Sunday. However, those discussions broke down when the two sides could not agree to a price, leading the Reds to pivot to Hays.

According to Rosenthal and Sammon, the White Sox were trying to get shortstop prospect Edwin Arroyo back for Robert. Arroyo missed all of 2024 due to shoulder surgery, but the 21-year-old infielder still finished the season as the top-ranked position player in the Reds' farm system.

Cincinnati, on the other hand, wanted Chicago to cover some of Robert's $15 million salary for 2025. The 27-year-old also has $20 million club options for both 2026 and 2027 with respective $2 million buyouts.

This isn't the first time Chicago has worked on a potential Robert deal this winter, only to have it fall apart. Rosenthal and Sammon noted that the San Francisco Giants had also expressed interest earlier in the offseason.

A hypothetical Robert-to-Cincinnati deal has been theorized for well over a month, while the Robert trade rumors stem all the way back to last summer's deadline. Chicago has already traded away Lucas Giolito, Reynaldo López, Erick Fedde, Jake Burger, Lance Lynn, Joe Kelly, Dylan Cease, Paul DeJong, Tommy Pham and Garrett Crochet during their ongoing rebuild, so many have seen Robert as the next domino to fall.

Robert burst onto the scene in 2020, winning a Gold Glove and finishing second the AL Rookie of the Year voting. He continued to show promise over the next few seasons, only for various hip, groin, head and wrist injuries to limit him to 68 games in 2021 and 98 games in 2022.

It took until 2023 for Robert to break out for real, as he finally made his first All-Star Game and participated in the Home Run Derby. Robert won a Silver Slugger Award and finished 12th in the AL MVP race after batting .264 with 38 home runs, 80 RBI, 20 stolen bases, an .857 OPS and a 5.0 WAR in 145 games.

The injury bug came back to haunt Robert in 2024, however, as a right hip flexor strain he suffered in early April kept him out of the lineup until June 4. Robert wound up appearing in 100 games, batting .224 with 14 home runs, 35 RBI, 23 stolen bases, a .657 OPS and a 1.4 WAR.

Still, the Reds could have used a high-upside player like Robert in 2025. His ceiling is certainly higher than Hays', even though Hays was an All-Star himself with the Baltimore Orioles in 2023.

Cincinnati will head into the season with Hays expected to start in left field, TJ Friedl in center, Jake Fraley in right and Stuart Fairchild off the bench. Chicago could look to send Robert elsewhere, or keep him at the center of their otherwise lackluster lineup.

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Sam Connon
SAM CONNON

Sam Connon is a Staff Writer for Fastball on the Sports Illustrated/FanNation networks. He previously covered UCLA Athletics for Sports Illustrated/FanNation's All Bruins, 247Sports' Bruin Report Online, Rivals' Bruin Blitz, the Bleav Podcast Network and the Daily Bruin, with his work as a sports columnist receiving awards from the College Media Association and Society of Professional Journalists. Connon also wrote for Sports Illustrated/FanNation's New England Patriots site, Patriots Country, and he was on the Patriots and Boston Red Sox beats at Prime Time Sports Talk.