In case you weren’t awake when the news broke just after 11 p.m. EST on Tuesday night, the New York Mets made another big-time offseason splash—this time via trade.
New York finalized a deal to acquire Luis Robert Jr. from the Chicago White Sox in exchange for prospects Luisangel Acuña and Truman Pauley, as first reported by ESPN’s Jeff Passan.
Robert Jr. had been the subject of trade speculation for years to no avail, but will finally get a change of scenery and an opportunity to prove his 2023 breakout was no fluke. The star outfielder is coming off an up-and-down 2025 campaign in which he slashed .223 with 14 HRs and 53 RBI across 110 games.
The 28-year-old remains under the six-year, $50 million contract he signed with the White Sox in 2020, which includes club options for both the 2026 and 2027 seasons before he’s eligible for unrestricted free agency in 2028.
On the other side, Acuña, 23, is a versatile position player capable of handling both the infield and outfield. He ranked as high as third in the Mets’ prospect pool in 2024 and is expected to join Chicago’s big-league roster immediately. The other piece of the return, Pauley, is a 22-year-old minor-league pitcher drafted in the 12th round in 2025 who has yet to make his MLB debut.
Busy Offseason Continues for the Mets
The acquisition of Robert Jr. is just the latest in a long list of significant moves made by President of Baseball Operations David Stearns and owner Steve Cohen this winter.
It began with a surprising one-for-one swap, sending Brandon Nimmo to Texas for Marcus Semien. That was followed by a free-agent spending spree to bring in Devin Williams, Jorge Polanco, and Luke Weaver, before longtime Met Jeff McNeil was dealt to the Athletics. Then, over the past week alone, they’ve signed star infielder Bo Bichette and now added Robert Jr. via trade. Not to mention, franchise cornerstones Pete Alonso and closer Edwin Díaz departed for Baltimore and Los Angeles, respectively, along the way.
For better or worse, the Mets will look dramatically different moving forward. Whether it all comes together to propel them back into the postseason remains to be seen, but one thing is clear: Stearns, Cohen, and company can’t be blamed for a lack of trying, because in a short period of time, they’ve completely reshaped the roster around superstars Juan Soto and Francisco Lindor.
Next: Insider Suggests Raiders are Eyeing Trade for Lamar Jackson
