The New York Mets landed the biggest free agent offseason prize in early December when they signed stud outfielder Juan Soto to a 15-year, $765 million contract.
Things have been eerily quiet in Queens since then, while the Mets’ crosstown rivals (the New York Yankees) have stayed among the busiest teams in MLB.
Bleacher Report’s Zachary D. Rymer wrote on Thursday that he thinks team owner Steve Cohen may have one more big trick up his sleeve, however.
In a post breaking down “Realistic MLB Trades That Could Happen Before 2025 Spring Training,” Rymer comes up with a proposal that would land Chicago White Sox star outfielder Luis Robert Jr. in the Big Apple in a one-for-one trade for minor league infielder Ronny Mauricio. The 23-year-old is the Mets No. 5 prospect.
How Blockbuster Deal Would Work for Both Sides
With 33 days to go until pitchers and catchers report to spring training, Rymer argues that there’s still time for Chicago and New York to strike a trade.
Rymer says that there’s still a “Pete Alonso-sized hole in the lineup, plus a less-than-obscure deficiency in center field. To this end, the Mets are perhaps the most obvious suitor for Robert,” he wrote. “Even with injuries being a consistent theme throughout his career, Robert still boasts a .790 OPS and 162-game averages of 31 homers and 24 steals. It suffices to say he has substantially more upside than Jose Siri, who profiles as more of a fourth outfielder.”
On the Pale Hose end, the MLB content scribe noted that Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic said in December that Chicago would want a “meaningful piece” if they traded Robert. The 2023 All-Star is signed through 2025 with club options for 2026 and 2027.
“Mauricio would be a gamble in this regard, as he’s coming off a year lost to a torn ACL. Yet he’s still only 23 and he was formerly a top-100 prospect who had big years in the minors in 2022 and 2023,” Rymer wrote.
What Would Robert-Mauricio Swap Signal to Mets, White Sox Fans?
If the White Sox were to move Robert and acquire an unproven, yet intriguing talent like Mauricio, it’d be yet another signal towards their continuous rebuild.
Chicago hasn’t made the playoffs or had a winning record since 2021 and finished last year with an MLB-record 121 losses against just 41 wins.
Mauricio signed with the Mets as a free agent in July 2017 at just 16 years old and was ranked as good as 48th in the Baseball Prospectus top-100 prospect rankings ahead of the 2020 season. Baseball America placed Mauricio 87th on its list prior to the 2024 campaign.
The Dominican briefly made his MLB debut in 2023, recording two home runs, nine RBI and a .248/.296/.347 slash line across 101 at-bats covering 26 games. Mauricio displayed his elite speed, however, posting seven stolen bases in seven attempts.
Acquiring Robert and giving up Mauricio would be another sign that Cohen is in full win-now mode.
The 27-year-old made his big-league debut at the start of the 2020 COVID-shortened season in July and he posted 11 home runs, 31 RBI, nine steals and a .233/.302/.436 slash line in 202 at-bats over 56 contests. Robert won his first and only Gold Glove award in his first season and was the AL Rookie of the Year runner-up to Kyle Lewis.
After injuries limited the Cuban to 166 games between the 2021 and 2022 campaigns, he had a breakout in 2023. Robert finished his fourth season with career highs in Wins Above Replacement (5.0), runs scored (90), hits (144), doubles (36), home runs (38), RBI (80) and total bases (296) among other categories, while earning a Silver Slugger award and All-Star honor.
He played just 100 games in 2024, finishing with 14 home runs, 35 RBI and a career worst .224/.278/.379 triple slash, but also registered a career-high 23 stolen bases.
Robert would not only team up with Soto and Brandon Nimmo in the Mets projected outfield following Rymer’s proposed deal, but superstar shortstop Francisco Lindor and slugging first baseman Pete Alonso (if he’s re-signed) as well.
After their run to the 2015 Fall Classic, the Mets had just two postseason berths in the next eight years, with no series victories. New York took a step forward in 2024 by advancing to the NLCS and now, the team’s looking to finish the job.
Robert could help them do just that.
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Mets Acquire 2023 All-Star for Top-5 Prospect in Trade Proposal