Removing the last link back to the Rick Hahn/Kenny Williams era, the White Sox shipped Luis Robert Jr., and the $22 million remaining on his contract, to the Mets on Tuesday in exchange for Luisangel Acuña, a 23-year-old infielder, and right-hander Truman Pauley, the 373rd overall pick in the 2025 MLB Draft.
Robert, still only 28 years old, has spent six injury-filled seasons with the White Sox, debuting during the shortened 2020 season. He was an All-Star in 2023, when he set career highs in games played, WAR, home runs, RBI, and doubles. He has failed to build on his success that season, as injuries have continued to keep him out of the lineup.
Acuña, the younger brother of Braves star Ronald, is a former top-100 prospect who made his debut in 2024, to limited success. He is an infielder by trade but is expected to compete for the now-vacant centerfielder. His greatest value, however, is through his defense and speed and playing him out of position could eat away at that. However, he did recently become the first player to hit four home runs in a Venezuelan Winter League game.
Pauley, drafted from Harvard last July, ironically spent much of his childhood receiving personal lessons from now-former White Sox pitching coach Ethan Katz. His fastball and slider show potential, but he has a poor history of throwing either for strikes.
Most importantly, the deal removes $22 million from the White Sox payroll, which now sits at just $67 million, the lowest in MLB. “We’ve got some financial flexibility now to continue to bring in talent,” GM Chris Getz said, although I think we all know that they won’t.
Roberts’ numbers in a White Sox uniform, both for games I attended and overall, were:
