NY Mets rumors: Luis Robert Jr. trade cost feels painfully familiar in the worst way

New York Mets rumors of interest in Chicago White Sox center fielder Luis Robert Jr. have fans wondering what it’ll cost to acquire the once rising superstar. Injuries plus some general poor performance have made him a little more irrelevant in the MLB landscape. Expected to be readily available by the trade deadline with the White Sox headed nowhere, the still quick-footed and talented defender is a pricy upgrade for the Mets who could look to buy low on a young player with a whole lot of upside.

Do they pull the trigger? As Rising Apple’s Brian Germinaro examined with some help from Southside Showdown’s Sam Phalen, it’s going to be a costly endeavor to pry him away even in a year where he isn’t hitting on all cylinders. A trade package is going to need to remove at least one notable prospect from the Mets farm system, Carson Benge being the choice Germinaro and Phalen both concluded made sense.

Although Mets rumors of any imminent trade have been shot down, the thought of trading Benge for Robert Jr. feels too uncomfortably familiar. 

If the Mets rumors of a Luis Robert Jr. trade come true, let’s hope it doesn’t include another outfielder drafted in the first round

Jarred Kelenic and Pete Crow-Armstrong aren’t linked in the minds of anyone but Mets fans. Lucky you. A pair of young outfielders drafted in the first round by the Mets and traded away, the similarities are too difficult to ignore especially when a name like Benge’s appears in any trade discussion.

Kelenic barely played in the Mets farm system before getting dealt. Taken in 2018, he was gone before the 2019 season began. Crow-Armstrong got a handful of games in during the 2021 season before an injury struck him down. Traded that summer, we hardly knew a thing about him when he left for the Chicago Cubs organization.

The Kelenic deal wouldn’t turn out to be as disastrous as it first looked and felt. The presence of Edwin Diaz made it a win for the Mets. The Crow-Armstrong trade, on the other hand, seems to be inching its way toward breaking our hearts and souls rather quickly. Could dealing Benge away long before making the majors have the same effect?

The Mets don’t have a whole lot of immediate room in their outfield. Brandon Nimmo is signed to be their left fielder. Juan Soto is in right field in perpetuity. It’s center field where the largest opening is, but multiple prospects aside from Benge could take the spot. There’s also always the chance we see Nimmo or Soto become more of a DH than an everyday defender within a few years. This doesn’t make the idea of trading away Benge any easier to accept for the fearful among us.

For a change, it would be nice to see what one of the team’s first-round picks can accomplish as a big league outfielder. Benge wasn’t taken incredibly high in the draft, but he seems to have the talent to grow into something special. Trading him for a guy like Robert Jr. who doesn’t feel super necessary and may already be on the decline is an extreme move to make.

Trade Benge and it’s déjà vu all over again in the worst way.