Philadelphia Phillies Top Trade Target 'Unlikely' to Be Dealt

The Philadelphia Phillies trade target might not get dealt before the trade deadline.

Jun 29, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago White Sox center fielder Luis Robert Jr. (88) celebrates his home run during the sixth inning against the Chicago White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field. / Patrick Gorski-USA TODAY Sports

The Philadelphia Phillies have been rumored to have an interest in superstar Luis Robert Jr. for the past few months. Robert would add another incredible talent to what already might be the best team in baseball.

Factor in that he's only 26 years old, and it makes perfect sense for the Phillies to do whatever they need to do to add the rising star.

However, there are some concerns about Robert. This isn't a similar situation to Bryce Harper, who was arguably the best player in the world when Philadelphia landed him. Most importantly, and the biggest factor in trading a haul for Robert, his inability to stay healthy is concerning.

He's only played in more than 98 games once in his four-and-a-half-year career, and it looks like he could be well on his way to playing less than 100 games again, as he's only appeared in 31 this season.

Still, the talent is undeniable, so don't be surprised if the Phillies take a chance.

Despite the rumors, David Schoenfield of ESPN reported that Robert is "unlikely" to be traded.

"We're not done with the White Sox. Look, indications are a Robert trade is unlikely. He's signed through 2027 on a reasonable deal ($20 million per year the final two seasons), so the White Sox are going to want a huge return. The concern in acquiring Robert is that he has missed significant time in 2021, 2022 and this season, when he missed two months with a right hip flexor strain."

Schoenfield did mention Philadelphia as a landing spot for him, as they're all in for a World Series. He added that if they were to pull a deal off, it'd likely cost them some combination of their four top prospects.

"Robert would cost the Phillies some combination of their top four prospects -- Andrew Painter, Aidan Miller, Justin Crawford, Mick Abel -- plus a couple of lower-level guys, and the White Sox might demand Sanchez, but we know president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski isn't afraid of making the big deal."

It's tough, as the Phillies farm system has some of the top talent in baseball. While they want those guys to be big peices to the future of the team, who knows how they pan out at the next level.

Robert, outside of injuries, has already proven the type of player he is.

It'll be an interesting few weeks, and past indications have suggested that they'll be aggressive.