There is an arms race brewing in the AL East between the Yankees and Red Sox and the White Sox could play a significant role.
The Red Sox have been one of the teams rumored to be in on Garrett Crochet. Boston has also been connected to free agents Corbin Burns and Max Fried. If they fail to convert on either of them then trading for Crochet could serve as their contingency plan.
The Red Sox have also been linked to free agent Juan Soto much to the dismay of their hated rivals from the Bronx. If the Yankees don’t re-sign Soto then they are going to need another impact bat. That’s where the White Sox could come into play.
While Crochet has been drawing most of the trade attention this offseason, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale previously reported the White Sox would “love to unload Robert”. MLB.com’s Anthony Castrovince proposed a trade that would send Luis Robert Jr. to the New York Yankees.
The White Sox would receive the Yankees’ top prospect Jasson Dominguez while the Yankees would receive Robert Jr. and left-hander Jake Eder, who was acquired from the Marlins when the White Sox traded Jake Burger.
Robert Jr. isn’t going to replace the massive void left by Soto if he doesn’t re-sign, however, he is still a high-impact talent. His resume includes an All-Star appearance, Silver Slugger Award, and Gold Glove Award.
The 27-year-old is owed $15 million next season with a $20 million team option in 2026 and 2027. The White Sox would love having that money off their books but it would be hard to justify letting him walk without getting something in return.
Acquiring Robert comes with some element of risk. He is coming off an injury-plagued season in which he posted an 87 OPS+. However, his career 13.9 WAR may be enough for teams like the Yankees to overlook that. His down year may also be why Castrovince included Eder in the deal.
Dominguez is a 21-year-old outfielder who is the 14th-ranked prospect in baseball. The Yankees have been reluctant to trade him in the past. He saw his first MLB action in 2023 and posted a solid .258/.303/.677 slash line in his first eight games before landing on the IL. However, in those eight games, he reached base in seven of them. He also became the youngest major leaguer in the Modern Era to hit four homers through his first seven career games. In 87 career MLB at-bats, he is hitting .207 with a .747 OPS and a pair of homers.
Given how far away the White Sox are from contending, Dominguez would fit the White Sox timeline much better while Robert would provide the Yankees lineup with some added power and speed to replace what they lost in Soto.
