Summer NY Mets rumors about the Luis Robert Jr. asking price look more hilarious now

Luis Robert Jr. to the New York Mets always felt inevitable. The trade rumors go back to at least last summer. At the time, the Chicago White Sox were asking for a ridiculous amount back from the Mets.

According to at least one of those Mets rumors, the White Sox wanted Jonah Tong. Yes, the prized Mets pitching prospect (after Nolan McLean) was apparently a must in the trade. The two clubs managed to strike a deal for far less, bypassing the inclusion of one of the most untouchable Mets prospects in recent years.

Luisangel Acuna, an outdated prospect the organization no longer had a need for, plus a 12th round draft pick from last year was all it ended up costing the Mets.

The White Sox were delusional if they ever thought they’d get Jonah Tong for Luis Robert Jr.

It’s only a rumor and perhaps there was a purpose behind it. The White Sox look delusional if they truly were holding out for the Mets to sacrifice one of their rising pitching prospects, a guy who at the time was dominating the minor leagues. The Mets ended up needing him in the majors. As badly as he pitched at times, the circumstances haven’t changed. He was never going to get traded away for Robert.

Acuna always kind of made sense. Even Mark Vientos might have been someone the White Sox could have pried away from the Mets if they were willing to eat some salary. They weren’t. The full Robert salary going to the Mets seems to confirm the financials were a big reason why it took until mid-January 2026 for the two clubs to ever strike a deal.

Jerry Reinsdorf, the White Sox owner and Steve Cohen denier, feels a heavier pocket after the trade. He managed to shed the salary and come away with a promising young player who has played his best baseball in the Winter League. Acuna has still failed to do the one thing many of the other questionable young Mets players have. A .667 OPS in 709 Triple-A plate appearances doesn’t suggest he’s a change of scenery away from becoming anything like his brother.

Usually, with most trades, there’s some sense of loss. Somehow, the big hold-up ended up causing very little pain. The fact that Robert wasn’t traded anywhere last summer seems to hint that they truly were asking for Tong or at least some major prospect. It wasn’t personal against the Mets. They were just holding out for Robert’s value to go up. It doesn’t seem like it did.