Luisangel Acuna has appeared in multiple games as the starting center fielder for the Chicago White Sox. Acquired when the New York Mets traded him there for Luis Robert Jr., he’s not the solution Chicago has been relying on these days.
While the Mets wait for Robert to return from the IL and maybe become a trade candidate yet again, they should be more than satisfied with the output from A.J. Ewing. The White Sox, too, can be happy with what they’re getting in center field from Tristan Peters.
A 26-year-old rookie, he became available this offseason when the Tampa Bay Rays DFA’d him to make room for Steven Matz. His career didn’t begin with the Rays organization as he came there via trade with the San Francisco Giants. Before San Francisco, he was a 7th round draft pick by David Stearns who dealt him away in 2022 for Trevor Rosenthal.
Tristan Peters is thriving as the White Sox center fielder and someone who would’ve been a nice grab for the Mets this season
Based on the way things have gone with the Mets this season, there wouldn’t be much room for Peters with the growth of Ewing and Carson Benge in the outfield. Nevertheless, another left-handed hitting outfielder with control and a promising start to his career wouldn’t be so bad to have around if for no other reason to add depth and maybe flip someone for help in other places.
Peters has hit .286/.343/.438 through his first 249 trips to the plate. He has 18 doubles and 4 home runs. Best of all, he has been worth an insane 8 Outs Above Average. As an added bonus, he has a 17.7% K rate. The man is literally everything Stearns wants in a center fielder.
The original trade that sent him from Milwaukee to the Giants resulted in 0 innings for the Brewers out of Rosenthal. The Giants swapped him for Brett Wisley, a light-hitting utility player who hasn’t stuck in the majors. This past offseason, the White Sox only paid cash considerations to land Peters.
In the offseason, connecting Peters to the Mets was distant as it included the fact that Stearns drafted then traded him. Now, with him playing so well and taking the center field job in Chicago, this feels like a missed opportunity that we would’ve expected Stearns to push for.
