LA Dodgers, Yankees injuries give NY Mets another reason to be petty with Luis Robert Jr.

One of the surest moves the New York Mets were going to make at the trade deadline was to find a new home for Luis Robert Jr. They never did. The remainder of his $20 million salary plus the $2 million buyout for next year was apparently too rich for everyone’s blood to actually give the Mets anything of value. Rather than eat salary and get something of value back, the Mets held onto Robert and don’t seem committed enough to seeing what he can do as a left fielder. Just two games at the position, he remains a mystery away from center field defensively.

The August 3 trade deadline was about as late as MLB could make it. In a world without a waiver wire trade deadline, it brought finality to major league players getting traded with only ones who hadn’t appeared on a 40-man roster all year available to deal.

For the Mets, it’s a bit unfortunate they don’t have until August 31st to make a waiver wire trade because Robert might, all of a sudden, appeal to more teams. Notably, it’s injuries to Andy Pages and a fresh one for Giancarlo Stanton which might have the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees thinking twice about passing on Robert.

The Dodgers and Yankees could use a player like Luis Robert Jr. right now

LRJ isn’t a direct replacement for Pages or Stanton in terms of ability. When replacing injured players in August, you take what you can get. He’s probably a better match for replacing Pages right now, but the Yankees, without Aaron Judge either, could definitely use his services in the outfield. It’s a shame, for them, they have Heliot Ramos hitting .122 and looking like a trade deadline bust already.

A question of why even hold onto Robert after the trade deadline is a fair one. Assessing any possibility of a return, even on a new deal and not his player option, is fair. Moreover, the Mets may simply want to be spiteful to the rest of the league. They’re already going to have to pay him his contract. Why let him leave for free? Other than Nick Morabito, whom they could have on the roster alongside Robert over Cristian Pache, there isn’t anyone he’s stealing playing time from.

There’s always a possibility the Mets decide to part ways with Robert after August 31st to open up some playing time for others. Players who aren’t on a club’s 40-man roster prior to that date become ineligible for the postseason. It would be some free regular season help for the Dodgers, Yankees, or anyone else in need of some outfield depth. More injuries bound to occur in the coming weeks, being petty and holding onto Robert just to prevent him from helping another team win a championship is a tactic we should appreciate.

As a free agent, Robert would be popular in these final weeks with even more than those two clubs. His ability to defend and run makes him useful even when his bat flattens out. The salary and having to give up anything at all for him is what kept him with the Mets.

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