Luis Robert Jr. is a player whom teams will ask the White Sox about all offseason, and the Yankees could be one of those teams picking up the phone.
Sources tell Empire Sports Media that the Yankees are interested in the outfielder’s services and could inquire about a trade this winter, as the team is looking to fill out its outfield for 2026.
New York will have to add at least one outfielder unless it plans to have Spencer Jones and Jasson Dominguez in its outfield on Opening Day.
Cody Bellinger and Kyle Tucker are available on the free agent market, and Robert may not prevent the team from signing one of them, but they could be in the market for two outfield additions.
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Why the Yankees Are Interested in Potential Luis Robert Jr. Trade
Luis Robert Jr. finished with a .661 OPS this past season with just 14 home runs in 110 games, but the underlying data indicates he was very unlucky.
His .761 xOPS was above-average, with the league-average OPS this past season at .720 and league-average xOPS at .718 this past season.
If he played to his expected data, he could have been a firmly above-average hitter with that elite glove at a premium position such as centerfield.
Furthermore, he stole 33 bases with an 80% Success Rate on stolen base attempts in those 110 games, which is why teams like the Mets were interested in him this past summer.
Brian Cashman could pair Robert with someone like Cody Bellinger to have an elite defensive left fielder and an elite defensive centerfielder, giving New York a well-rounded roster.
In speaking to people with knowledge of the Yankees’ thinking, the team cares a lot about left field defense, which is why they haven’t started a full-on pursuit of Kyle Tucker.
The Yankees do not believe in Dominguez defensively, in 2024 they had a chance to give him the job in September but chose not to do it even while Alex Verdugo was floundering offensively.
Furthermore, the team made attempts to trade him multiple times over the last 365 days, the writing seems to be on the wall that they’re not entirely in love with Jasson Dominguez.
Owed $20 million for 2026, Luis Robert Jr. could be tough to add from a financial standpoint, but with a club option for 2027, it means there’s only guaranteed money owed to him for this upcoming season.
If he’s excellent, the Yankees get a bargain on a star-caliber player, and if not, the team can use him as a platoon with Spencer Jones in centerfield.