NY Mets rumors: A trade package to bring Luis Robert Jr. to Queens

After Jose Siri landed on the injured list with a broken tibia, the New York Mets have had a hole in centerfield. Sure, they have Tyrone Taylor, who brings elite defense, but leaves a lot to be desired with his bat. He's not a player who can start over a full season. While many names have been floated, the one the Mets seemed to be targeting is Luis Robert Jr.

Over the weekend, Bob Nightengale reported that the Mets were among the teams checking in on Robert Jr., and some potential packages were even being discussed. Although his past season and a half have not been great, he was once an up-and-coming star. Over his six-year career, he's slashed .262/.314/.464 with 93 home runs, 261 RBIs, a 114 OPS+, and a wRC+ of 113.

While he's struggled, most have put that on Robert playing for a historically bad White Sox team. He does not want to be there anymore, and his play on the field shows that. A change of scenery could be all it takes for Robert to get back to the star player he was. But what would it cost the Mets to get a player like Robert?

What would it cost to get Luis Robert

Although Robert wants out and has struggled the past few seasons, acquiring him will still take a lot. Blade Tidwell is the one player who will definitely be going to Chicago in a potential trade. Nightengale highlighted him during the initial report. While the Mets appear to be high on him, after his less-than-stellar MLB debut, plus the success several Mets pitching prospects have had, he's expendable.

However, while Tidwell is the only name to be mentioned, he alone is not enough to get Robert. He's not even good enough to headline a potential package. Thanks to some help from Sam Phalen of Southside Showdown, he helped point us toward the White Sox having the desire to add at least a team's top five prospect and one guy in MLB Pipeline's Top 100 prospects.

Now with Tidwell already in the deal, it's unlikely they will get two top prospects. However, they will at least get one, and the most likely to be involved is Carson Benge. The 2024 first-round pick is currently the third-best prospect according to MLB Pipeline. While initially drafted as a two-way player when he signed with the Mets, he began to focus solely on being an outfielder.

Benge is the most likely candidate to get moved because he's an outfielder. Trading for Robert is not a short-term thing. If he comes to Queens, the Mets will likely sign him to some sort of long-term deal. With Soto and Nimmo locked up in the corners, there would be no place for Benge to play, thus making him the perfect person to trade.

While Benge and Tidwell are a good package, they need to throw in one more prospect to sweeten the deal. Someone who is in the lower level and needs a few years to develop. Someone like Jacob Reimer fits this well. Someone who's only 21 years old and has just hit his stride in Single-A Brooklyn. That should be enough to get the deal done.

Whether this package is worth it for a player like Robert is a different debate in itself. If the Mets want to acquire Robert, this is what a potential package would look like.