DALLAS – White Sox common supervisor Chris Getz appears greater than prepared to deal middle fielder Luis Robert Jr.
And, “refreshingly,” as he put it, Robert has “gotten a variety of curiosity on the Winter Conferences.
Right here’s a refresher on the place Robert, the workforce’s solely place participant with any star enchantment, stands with the Sox: He flashed five-tool expertise and a clear invoice of well being to go along with an All-Star efficiency in 2023. He bought damage (once more) final season and had most likely his worst one in every of his 5 years, batting .224/.278/.379 with 14 homers and a 32 % strikeout price in 425 plate appearances.
He’s owed $15 million in 2025 with choices of $20 million in every of the next two seasons.
The rebuilding Sox wouldn’t thoughts trimming that wage from an already slimmed-down payroll and, together with buying and selling ace left-hander Garrett Crochet this winter, inventory their farm system and present roster with a number of gamers.
“If you find yourself in a rebuild like this, you need to take a look at methods to speed up it,” Getz stated Monday on the conferences. “If there’s one thing on the market that we really feel can transfer this alongside and take it to a different degree, we’re going to think about it.”
Getz stated his price ticket on Robert is acceptable “based mostly on the expertise that he brings to the desk.”
He admitted there’s discrepancy in how the Sox and different groups worth Robert, however stated different groups additionally acknowledge his expertise and potential affect. Maybe figuring out the outfield free agent pool isn’t deep, and that groups that misplaced the $765 million sweepstakes for Juan Soto might look to Robert as a calculated choice, he gave the impression of a salesman speaking up his wares.
If solely Getz had been promoting excessive on Robert as a substitute of decrease based mostly on 2024.
However “whether or not it’s a free-agent signing or a commerce, it’s the predictive nature of what this participant goes to carry to the desk sooner or later,” Getz stated. “The instruments haven’t modified.
“Clearly, the damage final yr was disruptive to his manufacturing, however the purpose there’s a lot curiosity is as a result of possibly a workforce appears like they’ll seize one thing that maybe didn’t present up final yr. .. A participant that would affect the sport in so many alternative methods.”
Crochet, a 2024 All-Star, can affect a pitching employees in a number of methods, too, and he’s an much more possible commerce piece.
“There are solely so many frontline, ace caliber sort pitchers in our sport,” Getz stated.
“There isn’t a workforce in baseball that wouldn’t take Garrett Crochet.”
Together with, maybe, the crosstown Cubs, who’ve expressed curiosity in being a possible companion for Getz, who’s pleasant with president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer
“We’ve had conversations about varied matters, over espresso from time to time,” Getz stated. “If there’s a match, there’s a match. We’ve bought to do what’s greatest for the White Sox and if which means we knock on the door of the Cubs, so be it. They’ve a proficient group that’s working its method towards the key leagues.
On the primary full day of the conferences, which run by means of Wednesday, Getz was coy about the place talks stood Monday afternoon, saying “the market involves you” and {that a} deal taking place on the conferences is “a risk. We’ll see.”
Getz had Dylan Stop as a prized commerce chip eventually yr’s conferences and held on until spring coaching. So there’s no telling when a commerce will go down.
“There’s a variety of conversations occurring,” he stated. “We’re actually not going to power something, but when it involves us, then we’re actually not scared to drag the set off on one thing that can assist us.”
