The story of the Mets this winter changed for the better seemingly in an instant. Riding the wave from the signing of Bo Bichette last week, the Mets added another high-profile hitter to the group with the acquisition of center fielder Luis Robert Jr. on Tuesday night.
It took two tries, but the Chicago White Sox eventually traded Robert for infielder Luisangel Acuña, and Truman Pauley, a right-handed A-ball pitcher, the Mets announced.
The Mets looked into acquiring Robert at the trade deadline, but eventually got Cedric Mullins from the Baltimore Orioles instead. Mullins had a disappointing few months with the Mets, leaving the team looking for an upgrade in 2026.
Robert, a 27-year-old out of Cuba, has a .259 average with a .767 OPS, 102 homers and 102 stolen bases over six seasons with the White Sox. Defensively, he has 33 Outs Above Average. He has one more year left on his contract.
This fills out the Mets’ outfield. Robert will play between Tyrone Taylor in left and Juan Soto in right. Taylor is coming off of a down season offensively, but is a tremendous defender in center field. Soto struggled defensively last season, his first in Queens after playing in the Bronx. Top outfield prospect Carson Benge will also get a chance to make the team out of camp, but instead of relying on an unproven prospect, the Mets now have a proven commodity in Robert.
Acuña has been a promising prospect for the Mets since coming to New York in the Max Scherzer trade, but the Mets have a few too many young infielders, with Brett Baty, Mark Vientos and Ronny Mauricio needing places to play. The 23-year-old Acuña, the brother of Atlanta Braves star Ronald Acuña Jr., hit .248 in 109 major league games over the last two seasons.
