The New York Mets have acquired center fielder Luis Robert Jr. from the Chicago White Sox, sending infielder Luisangel Acuña and right-handed pitching prospect Truman Pauley to Chicago.
Robert, 28, debuted with Chicago in 2020, winning a Gold Glove and finishing second in AL Rookie of the Year voting. He later signed a six-year, $50 million contract, with the White Sox exercising his $20 million club option for 2026 in November. The deal also includes another $20 million option for 2027 with a $2 million buyout.
Over his first 577 major league games, Robert owns a .259 average with 102 RBIs and 102 stolen bases. However, he is coming off a difficult 2025 campaign in which he batted .223 with 14 home runs, 53 RBIs and a career-high 33 stolen bases across 110 games before a late-season hamstring injury ended his year. Just one season earlier, he emerged as one of baseball’s most dynamic players, hitting .264 with a career-best 38 homers, 80 RBIs and 20 steals in 145 games, earning his only All-Star selection.
Robert is expected to fill a slot in the Mets revamped lineup headlined by Francisco Lindor and Juan Soto, with Bo Bichette—signed to a three-year, $126 million deal earlier this week—joining the infield alongside Jorge Polanco and Marcus Semien. New York also bolstered its bullpen with Devin Williams and Luke Weaver after finishing 83-79 last season and narrowly missing the playoffs. The Mets lost first baseman Pete Alonso and closer Edwin Díaz in free agency and dealt outfielder Brandon Nimmo and utility man Jeff McNeil as part of the reset.
Chicago, meanwhile, continues to lean into a rebuild. Acuña, 23, the younger brother of Atlanta Braves star Ronald Acuña Jr., hit .234 with eight RBIs and 16 steals in 95 games for the Mets last season and has seen time at second base, third base, shortstop and center field. While his power has been limited in 233 big league plate appearances, he impressed this winter in the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League, posting a .939 OPS and delivering a historic four-homer postseason game.
Pauley, also 22, was a 12th-round pick out of Harvard in the 2025 draft. He logged a 2.08 ERA in three appearances for the Mets’ Class A affiliate in St. Lucie, building on a collegiate career in which he struck out 91 batters over 70⅓ innings.
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